Divided
by Sgt. Socks
Summary: What happens when you tell someone something, and it ends up bringing out your worst fears?Everyone you care about is in danger, and now, your nightmare comes to life. Your tragic fate is lookng so clear.bad summary.re-posted.changed my name.Ed/OC J/B
1. 00: Tattoos

**i found it! yay! after deleting all my Twilight fanfics off of my computer, i thought all of my favorites were lost too. but they're not! XD most of my favorites, i actually backed up via email, so i still have the popular ones, for the most part. i've gone through and edited, this one a LOT. first of all, Lizzie doesn't go by Lizzie for reasons i'm not gonna go into. she has the same name-well, first name anyways-but she goes by Mayze. it'll explain why later. i promise. i hope you like it edited. it's not gonna be, like, insanely different, but the differences will be, in my opinion, improvements, i.e. more cute, romantic stuff in this one; more pain in Together. it'll just be better, i think. :) and i hope you do too.**

**before i post any more, i wanna make sure people still want it. i know SilverMoon100 does, but i wanna make sure more people do too. i can easily just send it to them. but, the point is, if you want more and want me to keep going, R&R please, for each chapter. getting reviews helps fuel the fire, so to speak. :) i'll get better chapters up faster. **

**oh! and, in the summary, i DID reference to the song _Nightmare _by Avenged Sevenfold, a truly amazing band. RIP the Rev. :( he will be missed. he might not have been the most amazing drummer ever, in your opinion, but he was to some, and he will be missed.**

**so, without further ado, here's the prologue to Divided.**

**DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Saga and _Midnight Sun_, not me. If i did, things would've gone _way _differently.**

**CLAIMER: I own Mayze. yay! she's pretty awesome. **

* * *

This is a little thing I started doing  
Instead of wasting time and posting some lyrics  
Which some people don't even read  
I'm just gonna put that chapter's track title.  
If you wanna listen to it while reading,  
You can  
But, obviously, I can't force you to.  
It's just for your benefit. :)  
Although I wouldn't recommend listening  
To the song for this chapter.  
The lyrics just fit.

**Track 1. Life's What You Make It - Hannah Montana**

* * *

My eyes closed. This was all so nerve-wrecking. I mean, I'd never lived with my dad before. Bella and I scarcely ever even saw the man, and now, we're living with him? I mean, sure, I'm all for making Renée happy, but...it'll be really awkward.

Oh! I'm sorry! You're probably so confused.

My name is Elizabeth Malia "Mayze" Swan, and I have an older sister named Isabella Marie Swan. She's one of the coolest people you'll ever meet. Honestly, we're complete opposites. She's quiet, shy, and closed in; I'm out-going, optimistic, and open. She's a studyholic, and I've never studied a day in my life. Sure, I make good grades, but _nothing_ like her. She's the older one, so it makes sense for her to be more...motherly. I mean, sure, we have Renée, but she's...erratic. I love her to pieces, but she's...she's a character.

Bella and I don't look alike, at all, other than our almost white skin. She has semi-long, yet insanely beautiful curly, dark brown hair, and I have naturally bleach blonde—almost white—naturally wavy hair with lowlights that I put in a couple of months ago. It didn't take long to straighten mine, and it was cut in a somewhat long emo style cut, because apparently I am emo. **(A/N: If you want to see everyone and the pictures I have of her tattoos [you'll see], just let me know, and I'll post a link to make that available on my profile.)**

Whatever. People are cruel and stupid. Emo stands for emotionally unstable, and in a sense, everyone is. It's just a stereotype, and I think it's stupid.

Both of our hair has that shimmer look to it, and it looks weightless. Also, her eyes are a _gorgeous_ chocolate brown color, and mine are…well, honestly, they're a bright, _bright _glow in the dark electric blue color. It's kinda odd.

Like I said, nothing alike except the skin color.

Along with our differences, she's pretty short—five foot four—and I'm five foot eleven, still growing. It didn't make sense, because Charlie wasn't that tall, but I was catching up to him. She's small, all around, basically, and I have curves I could honestly reduce in size by, like, four times and still have some.

Okay; that's exaggerating, but my point is, as skinny—yet muscular—as I am, 32D cup growing _still _to a DD (almost there) doesn't look normal, and neither does the rather large ass I've got. My legs and arms are slender, but muscular, and my stomach is toned and slim. But, those areas? Nope.

Renée had remarried, in case you're wondering. She married a younger minor league baseball player looking for a team to settle with. She never got to be with him, because she was always at home with us, and it made her sad. So, Bella and I were in Bella's room talking one night, and she proposed we move in with Charlie. I mean, I love the rain, and I love my dad. I just don't know him, at all. We're complete opposites, unlike him and Bella, who are exactly alike. Honestly, I'm nothing like any of my family. I don't know _why_ I'm this way, but I am.

I'm one of those people who love bright, outgoing colors and black, who would rather have the time of my life than sit at home and read a book. I mean, I love doing adventurous things, trying anything new. I don't like fitting in with the "in" crowd. I like being myself, and if that fits, well, then, I guess I'm in. But, honestly, I've never been anywhere where out-going, crazy—in a good way—fun, wild, and awesome fits in. I mean, yeah, I stand out, but, not being all braggy—if that's a word—or anything, people love me. I mean, they love Bella too, but I've got people telling me I'm the coolest person they know.

If only they knew Bella once she was out of her shy shell...

Anyways, right now, we're moving in with Charlie. We're at the airport, about to get on the actual plane.

Renée smiled as she looked back and forth between both of us. "Gosh, girls. I'm gonna miss you both, so much."

"We'll miss you too, Mom," Bella said sincerely before smiling and hugging her one last time. "I promise. We'll call, email, write, and everything. If you need any help that I can help from up there with, just, let me know."

"Don't let me know, because I'm not good at that kind of stuff," I said honestly, smiling encouragingly at Renée. "Mom, if I can remember, I'll call every day. Maybe even text. Never mind. That'll just be a waste of time."

She laughed before pulling us both into another hug. Bella was in her right arm, and I was in her left. "Bye, girls."

Since I wasn't gonna see her for a while now, I decided to cooperate and hug her back. I was just weird like that. Hugs were only okay from guys, and it had to be guys I liked for that—like Charlie, or my best friend, Blaze.

I picked up my duffel bag I was using as a carry-on and strapped it on my shoulder. I had my pillow, my Pookie—don't laugh, alright, but I still have a stuffed bear. He's so cute though, and he means a lot to me—and my blanket for me and Bells on the plane. She put her duffel bag on her shoulder before hugging Renée, yet again, one more time.

That was just something about me. I don't give hugs a lot, especially to women. I mean, sure, it was a special time, but I'm not really the hugging type person.

Bella called me crazy, but, hey, what can I say? I'm mushy at heart. I mean, on the outside, I'm crazy and tough and pretty fucking hardcore—kidding. Inside, I'm figuratively blonde and mushy. I love romantic; I can't stand corny. There is a _huge_ difference. I like sweet, funny, charming, dazzling, intoxicating, and things like that. I cannot stand obnoxious, corny, stupid, or sexist. Those are the things that immediately redirect me from a guy. If he has one of those qualities, I'm not even gonna consider him.

Needless to say, I've never had a boyfriend. Neither has Bella. None of the guys in Phoenix really...attracted us. Blaze was my best friend—nothing more. He had a crush on me at one point, but he realized we just wouldn't work, and we were just meant to be best friends—brother and sister.

As we boarded the planes, Bella locked our arms together, and she decided to look around. I knew, and she knew, our lives were about to completely change. It would probably be depressing, for her at least, to live in a town where it constantly rains. Me, on the other hand...I would have the best time in the _world_, I think. I _love_ rain, more than I do the sun, honestly. My favorite time of day is when the sun's down, but it's not quite night. Twilight, I guess you'd call it. And, the most perfect twilight is the ones where it's raining. You better believe I'll be sitting outside, dancing in the rain while looking up at the skies. Now _that's_ gonna be awesome.

"Goodbye shorts," I said dramatically with an added sniffle, for effect, as we sat down and I looked out the mirror. I was looking towards all the traffic and the sun. "Goodbye short-sleeves. Goodbye flip-flops."

Bella laughed with a roll of her eyes. "You are so crazy."

I grinned ruefully at her, shrugging. "Well, yeah. But, you already knew that."

"True," she agreed, unable to stop herself from nodding too. "So, are you calm yet?"

I shook my head firmly. "You know what's keeping me going?"

"What?" she asked curiously before leaning back in her seat and looking over at me. Her face was calculating, but otherwise emotionless. I knew that look as she was listening, but her mind was also somewhere else.

"One word," I said with a smile as I held up my index finger. "Rain."

She rolled her eyes but smiled at me softly. "Of course. That _would _be it...the weather."

I just grinned at her as the light that said _Seatbelts On_ flashed on. All the passengers around us started strapping up, so, after putting my pillow behind me, getting out Pookie, and covering me and Bella up, I did the same thing. I made sure to strap Pookie in too.

Bella laughed. "You are such a dork sometimes, but I love you."

"Hey," I said firmly with a deep frown. "Don't be knocking Pookie. He's _my_ Pookie bear."

"Well, _yeah_," she said with a snort before laughing softly. "He certainly isn't mine."

"You're just jealous," I said decisively before looking out the window beside me, keeping my eyes set on the skies beside us.

As the plane took off into air, my ears popped with the altitude change. It wasn't any different than it usually was whenever they popped, so it didn't bother me much. People all around me, including Bella, were wincing and holding their ears.

Like I said, it didn't bother me much.

The plane ride was long and freaky. We were _way_ too high up for my taste. In case you didn't know, I'm afraid of heights, so…this was freaky. Bella gave me the window seat, because she thought I would want it.

Looking out the window and gluing my eyes on it wasn't the best idea.

She laughed as I picked up my last bag swiftly. I was still freaked and slightly shaking as I did it, so, I just put the pillow, blanket, and Pookie into my carryon bag. As I put the backpack and both duffel bags on, I noticed Bella had set all her bags down. She was scanning the crowd on her tiptoes, in search of our dad.

I snorted. "You're never gonna find him, Shortie."

She glared at me in aggravation. "I'm not short. I'm just unusually not tall. So, you find him, since you're so freakishly tall."

One scan of the room, and I had found him. So, with a smirk, I nodded to the left of us. "He's this way. Come on."

She spotted him then and decided to lead the way.

As I followed her through the crowd, someone caught my eye. Well, I thought it was someone. They were extremely pale, like Bella and me, but even more-so. Their skin was a silvery white color.

I just shrugged it off as we approached our father.

"Bella, Mayze," Charlie said with a smile. "It's great to see you two again."

We both looked at each other with a smile and then back at him. "You two, Dad."

He frowned. "Oh come on. Are you seriously gonna test me again? I know which one is which, because you're so different, but you know I just sometimes call you the wrong thing. That's all."

I scowled. "When we were little, all you could use was the eye color, cause she had blonde hair too…well…once I got to be at least two."

He nodded. "Yes, but now, hers is brown, and yours is almost white and black." He frowned. "And you're covered in piercings and tattoos. Did your mother approve of all of this?"

"Yes, sir," I answered immediately, half expecting him to call her that moment and start a fight with her about it. "Well, the first time, I snuck out and did it, but she realized that she wasn't gonna be able to stop me, so she just let me do it from then on out."

"Well, no more," he said firmly.

"Until I'm eighteen," I agreed with a nod, "or I have a reason to get another one."

Haha. My tattoos and piercings...

Well, I mostly have tattoos, but I _do _have a couple of piercings. Along with the usual earrings, I had nine extra piercings that went around the curve of my ears. My final piercing was a stud on the left side of my nose.

Needles scare me, which is weird, because I have so many tattoos and piercings.

For my tattoos...where do I begin?

I'll go from head to toe and left to right.

To start, behind my right ear, I have the word "aláinn," which means beautiful in Irish, in a very neat and jagged print the artist did.

On my left ribs, I have the quote, "If being sane is thinking that there's something wrong with being different, I'd rather be completely mental."

Then, on the inside of my right wrist, in a very cute cursive, I got the word "láidir," which means strong in Irish. Also, on the inside of my left wrist, in the same cute cursive as "láidir," I had the words "l'amore bella" put on there. That means "beautiful love" in Italian.

My left hand had two different tattoos. One was a small heart on the skin in-between my thumb and pointer finger, that curve of the "L" you make with those fingers. My final tattoo was on my ring finger. I had the word "love" put there, in my own personal cursive.

"I brought the squad car, so you two can decide who rides in the back."

Bells and I crossed our arms in unison, playfully glaring in his direction as he grabbed some of our bags and headed out, completely oblivious to our looks we were giving him.

That was something we did. Well, honestly, we did a lot of things in unison. It scared people a lot, until they got used to it. Our response, in unison, would be, "Sisters."

Oh yeah. Did I forget to mention? Charlie is the chief of police in Forks, the place we're moving.

This was gonna be fun. That was the only way to look at it...optimistically.


	2. 01: Arrival

**this chapter isn't very exciting...:) anyways, thanks to random reviewers! at least 2 people want this back, so i'll post it. one chapter at a time, though. i have to get a review before i post more. XD i'm working on 18 currently, which isn't the same 18 as the last one. i've added stuff and made it better, to give it more romance/funny stuff, and just other stuff it needed. lol.**

**point is, here you go. :)**

* * *

Track 2. Come Clean - Hilary Duff

* * *

"Bye, girls!" Charlie called. "Have a great first day!"

On a Tuesday. Wouldn't it have made much more sense to start, oh, I don't know, yesterday?

Just wondering.

"Thanks, Dad!" Bella yelled after him. "You too!" She let out a frustrated sound. "Damn it, Mayze! Why is your hair not cooperating today? Is it the climate change?"

I shrugged before looking up at her. "I guess it's just not used to the moist air yet. I can just put it up, Bells."

"Give me a sec," she said firmly as her teeth grit together in concentration as she clamped the straightening iron down on the last piece of hair I had left not straight. "I've almost...got it."

I shrugged before grabbing another ponytail holder, just in case it didn't stay this way. "Close enough, Bells. Now come on."

It was weird. We looked like complete opposites—even more so than usual. White and brown, black and bright cyan. Boots and high top converse, light blue jeans and dark blue skinny jeans. The only thing alike, partially, is the way we did our hair—we left it down. Bella's is curly, and mine is straight.

Another difference? She put on no makeup, and I put on black eyeliner, mascara, bright electric blue eye shadow, and some blue glitter on my face, mostly around my eyes, to make my eyes pop even more so than they already did.

"That looks nice," she finally decided as she pulled on her rain jacket, eyes on me.

"Thanks," I said brightly, slipping into my backpack without another word. It was black with bright cyan, bright lavender, bright periwinkle, bright lime green, bright hot pink, neon orange, and neon yellow polka dots on it.

Bella refused to let me do my own hair sometimes, when she was feeling extra maternal. It was kinda irritating, but I understood why she did it.

Renée had gotten us both everything we would need. We had gone shopping for clothes, shoes, supplies, and just about anything we might possibly need...

She got Bella _months_ worth of tampons, as if she'd need them anyways. I mean, seriously! She ended up leaving them there, because, from what Renée told us about Charlie over the years, we'd be doing the grocery shopping. Or, Bella would, at least.

I _would_ do it, but she doesn't trust me. She has a way she wants everything done, and, supposedly, I don't do it right. I'm not even allowed to do my own laundry because I fold them wrong. Whenever I'm gonna make a sandwich, she'll make it, because she says the mayo has to be even.

Sometimes, that girl is _too_ OCD. I mean, we sometimes think I've got ADHD, but she's definitely got OCD, even though a doctor has never said that. We just know it's true.

Hmm...in case you didn't catch the _Bella _months worth of tampons thing...

You see, I'm unable to have kids. I've never had a period, ever. Something about the reproductive organs inside of me aren't functioning properly, or something? I'm not really sure. All I know is that I won't be able to have kids unless I get a monthly hormone shot. I don't remember the name of it, but I have to get it once a month, if I plan on trying to have kids that month. The shot causes me to ovulate an extended time than most women naturally do almost immediately, and then I have my period if I don't get pregnant—all within two weeks.

Too much hassle, especially considering I don't even want kids.

For my first day of school outfit, I had on a pair of black, ripped skinny jeans; a bright cyan v-cut t-shirt with a pocket on the left boob and a lacy black camisole underneath it; a two inch thick black studded belt put on over my shirt, held up by my hips, which I find too big; my inch thick black and bright cyan checkered bangle with the thin black one that came with it; my _huge_ black rectangle diamond ring that my great aunt and uncle got me for Christmas, my _real _diamond ring; and my high top black converse with a few black studded leather strips wrapped around it that buckled and a zipper instead of shoe laces.

For _her_ first day outfit, she was wearing a pair of light blue jeans; a white, long-sleeved t-shirt made out of the same material as wife beaters; a brown camisole underneath it so it wasn't showy; and a pair of brown suede boots. She had just left her hair down and natural.

"We need nametags," I said thoughtfully, my lips pursed together, as we walked out of the house, making sure to lock the door behind us. "Just for the hell of having nametags. On my shirt, I'll put Sister Number Two, AKA, the Useless One."

She frowned at me, pulling the truck keys out as she did so. "You're not useless, Mayze. You're very useful."

I sighed. "If you say so."

"You wanna drive?" she asked curiously, smiling hopefully at me as she dangled the keys up in the air, hoping it would cheer me up. "I'll drive home, and you can drive up there."

I took the keys from her gently with a nod, unsure if it would work or not. I walked over to the vehicle Charlie had gotten for us from one of his friends, Billy Black—a brand fucking new Jeep. His son, Jacob Black, who me and Bella made mud pies with as kids, had fixed it up. It, honestly, looked really nice. He was excited that I knew something about cars, since Bella didn't. It's a 2011 solid black Jeep Wrangler, and it's got a beastly engine—nothing loud and awful though. It a forty-two horsepower, seven-speed engine, and it's got little steps added on the sides for the two klutzy sisters.

Yeah. Bella's a _major_ klutz, and I'm _majorly_ worse. Whenever people tell Bella she's the biggest klutz they've ever seen, her response is always, "You should see my baby sister."

I could see the way her and Jake were looking at each other. He was giving her a flirty smile, and she was, unknowingly, giving him one back. The thing about Jake is, he's from La Push, and he goes to school on reservation. He's _extremely _tall, and he looks twenty. Really, he's two years younger than Bella, a year younger than me. He has russet colored skin, and his hair is an inky black color, cut short and spiky. He was pretty cute. I had to be honest.

"By the way," I said casually, glancing over at her as she shut her door just barely forcefully enough to close it—typical Bella. She looked over at me with curious eyes, waiting for my statement patiently.

There was another difference. She has _loads _of patience, most of the time, and I have none—all the time.

I started the Jeep and backed out before going on. "I noticed something."

"What?"

"I have to admit," I said lightly as I drove down the street, smirking in front of me for a moment as I thought through the best way to say this. I looked over at her with a grin, knowing it would irritate her. "Jake's pretty cute."

I saw her eyes tighten. That was the reaction I had been hoping for. She hadn't meant to, but her emotions took over her face for a brief second. I saw it in her eyes, her emotions she was usually good at hiding.

She was _jealous_. According to her, I was more datable material than her, which I think is a load of bullshit. I'm just a crazy, whacky, out-going, insane girl; and she's sweet, fun, and just awesome. She's _beautiful_.

I smiled as I continued driving down the road, knowing she was still looking at me. "He seems interested."

"In you?" she asked quietly, voice soft and full of a twinge of pain. Then, she faked a smile. "Well, duh. Why wouldn't he be?"

I made a face at her, my tongue sticking out in disgust. "Ew, no. I love Jake, but just as a good buddy, like a pet fish, or a cute little dog. No. Not like that. I meant in _you_, Bells. Did you see the way you two were unknowingly flirting? Why do you think I was so eager to drive? You would've been a nervous wreck, and you wouldn't have talked."

She frowned at me, and that statement, of course, earned me another eye roll. "You're crazy, Mayze."

"Well, yeah," I agreed. "But, I'm right about this, and you know it. That's why when I said Jake's cute, your eyes tightened, and you were completely jealous. Your eyes told your bluff."

She stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest with a scowl. "I can't believe we're talking boys right now. I just met him."

"Nah uh," I disagreed, smiling brightly at her. "We met him _years_ ago. Remember? Mud pies."

"That doesn't count," she said firmly as she made yet another sour face at me. "I was _three_."

"So?" I asked curiously before laughing, finding humor in her discomfort. Boys weren't her subject, but it sure as hell was mine—sexy boys that is. Sure; Jake wasn't sexy, but I could talk about him with Bells. "We still met him. And, Bells, I'm not saying you're in love with the guy. We were with him all yesterday and the day before. It's okay to have a crush on him after two days. That's not gonna hurt you. And, besides. He's your type of guy anyways. He's sweet, funny, charming, and he really cares about you. I'm telling you, Bells. I'm seeing things that you're not because outside points of view are better than inside. You didn't see the way you were looking at each other."

She just rolled her eyes as I pulled up in the school parking lot. There were a few people here, but not many, like we had hoped for. It was our plan from the beginning. We were gonna get here sorta early so there wouldn't be a bunch of people here when we went up to the office to get our paperwork.

The people who _were_ here, though, stared at us with wide, awestruck eyes. They looked stunned, like they've never seen sisters before—even completely opposite sisters! I mean, I knew Forks was a small town, with a population of three thousand, two hundred people, and probably more animals in all of the woods there are here; but I hadn't known they were _that_ small.

I was an odd one. Back at our school in Phoenix, Renée had started me a year early, so Bella and I could be together. They allowed it, because I was smarter than some of the kids Bella's age. So, we've been in the same grade all of our lives, even though I'm a year younger.

Bella pulled her backpack over her shoulder. She had the same kind as me, but instead of black with all those polka dots, it was a hunter green color with light green donut looking things on them. It was a light green circle with the center missing. "So, the office."

I nodded. "Hey, did Charlie ever say whether or not we'd have the same classes?"

"He said we possibly could," she said honestly. "But, he said there's no way to be sure. If we really want to, we _can_, but, I don't know. What do you think? I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, but how would we make friends if we were always talking, just the two of us?"

"That's a good point," I agreed before looking at her and giving her a bright grin. "So, I'm not gonna have to force you to be yourself, am I?"

She laughed and shook her head sincerely. There was a rueful smile on her lips, almost apologetic. "No. I can do it. I'm telling you. By lunch, I'll have a table full of friends and won't even save a seat for you."

I gasped dramatically, pretending to be hurt by that statement. "Well, then! Maybe I don't need you either. Did you _ever_ think of that?"

She just laughed, and in that instant, the direction the wind was blowing changed from east to west. I noticed this, because it blew her hair with it, along with mine. I smiled at the satisfaction of this weather and turned towards the direction of the office.

Of course, I _would_ run into someone.


	3. 02: Welcome to Forks High

**R&R for more. =) one thing i will say about this new version is that, not only are the characters way more awesome, but it's longer too. lol.**

**OH! btw...i kinda changed the vamps around too...=) they're a lot cooler, in my opinion. if you don't think so? oh well. they're not much different, but they actually look normal-yet still insanely gorgeous.**

**you'll see. lol**

**and they are no longer twins. i thought i should mention that. they're not twins, and in chapter 1, i added something very important for later. thank you.**

* * *

Track 03. Welcome to the Family - Avenged Sevenfold (A7X)

* * *

I'm not sure who he was, but he was walking in a group of kids. Well, they didn't really look like kids. Angels would probably be a more appropriate word for the group of people walking, if they were even people. They were beautiful...every one of them.

There were five of them walking, two pairs and then the one boy I hit all alone. None of them looked alike, at all.

A small girl, pixie-like, with black hair (she was absolutely beautiful, but not quite like him) was the first one I noticed, because she had a look that caught my attention. Her eyes moved over to him in that instant, like she was looking for something in his expression or actions—or something like that. Her eyes were bright and excited, meaning she was happy about something. They were a greenish hazel color, more green than brown, but still hazel. Her skin was a dark olive color, almost tan, but not quite.

Then, beside her, was a guy. He had short, tousled, honey blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He had faint circles under his eyes, almost like he hadn't gotten much sleep—if any—the night before. He was muscular, scarily so. It was the desired look girls wanted, or close to it anyways, but it was just too much for me. Honestly, he intimidated me.

Beside him on the other side, there was the most beautiful blonde haired girl, hair a shimmery gold color even. She was so beautiful, I wanted to cry. I mean, she looked like a goddess. I couldn't find a single flaw. She had really tan skin and deep blue eyes; not bright, but royal blue really. She had long, curly gold, gorgeous ringlets, and she had the body most girls wish they had—small, muscular toned, big chest, big butt frame. To make it worse, she was tall. I mean, how much more perfect could someone get?

Beside the model was a really, and I mean _really _big guy, more so than the first guy. He had short, curly brown hair. There was no denying he had muscles. Honestly, you could stand a mile away and notice that. He had olive colored skin working on tan, much like the little pixie. His eyes were a deep brown color, so warm and lush—luring.

Honestly, they were all enticing...

I just got a glimpse at the others, though, because I was dazed at the sight of the lone boy, whom I had bumped into. The first thing I noticed was how…how cold he was. Then, I noticed his features.

He was tall—my eyes weren't even level with his shoulder, and I'm five eleven—and lean. It wasn't really that he was a skinny wimp, but more along the lines of he wasn't too muscular. He actually had just the right amount of muscles. His hair was bronze—not quite red or brown—and tousled. It was wild, yet, at the same time, it was tame, if that makes any sense at all.

I've never seen anyone with his eyes; the warm, bright emerald color of them, maybe even green topaz. They were absolutely beautiful, different than anything I had ever seen. His skin was pale olive, almost enough to be considered just pale, and there were faint purplish bruises under his eyes, like maybe he hadn't slept at all last night either.

When our hands made contact, I couldn't breathe, at all. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, faster than it ever has before. It was as if his touch, his cold, icy touch, burned my skin and made my blood boil. The icy touch was cleared out by the heat I got from my blood boiling and the high voltage electric current that instantly shot through my entire body, to my core. This all happened in a second, but it took me longer to register some of the affects.

For a second, he looked really confused. His eyes looked chary as he looked at me; but then, when the wind picked up, his face shifted. It went completely blank before he just turned and walked inside, as far away from me as he could get it seemed. The others looked after him, then over at me for a few moments. After those moments, they all decided to walk inside after him.

I was too frozen to think though. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stop my cheeks from being completely flushed. The temperature was cool, nothing like Phoenix, but I still felt my cheeks _burning_.

I felt Bella walk behind me, but I was too dazed to really notice anything about her expression. "What was up with him?"

But I didn't answer—didn't honestly know how to. I was shocked that I was even able to move my legs as I just walked into the office, flushed and complete putty.

Damn that boy.

The secretary turned to me with raised eyebrows, but then, she looked at me. "Oh my! Let's see...bleach blonde hair...you're...Isabella, right?"

Bella walked into the office after me, a puzzled expression on her face. "Mayze? Are you alright?"

"Oh!" the secretary, Miss Cope, said quickly, as if she had just pricked her finger or something, before she looked at Bella. "You're Isabella. So, that means the one with brown hair and brown eyes is Isabella, and the one with almost white hair and blue eyes is Elizabeth."

"It's actually Bella," Bella corrected sheepishly, biting her lip to ease her nerves—it helps. "And Mayze. She's...I guess deep in thought right now. I'm not really sure." Bella nudged me in the ribs with her elbow, and I just blinked, finally back to my senses.

Well, sort of.

I smiled at the secretary. "Hi. I'm Mayze. Sorry. Uh...but, anyways, we're here for our schedules and paperwork."

She smiled at me as she handed the two of us two sheets of paper each, but her eyebrows were furrowed. "And you two are from Phoenix?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"You're extremely pale," she said bluntly, as if it was looking at two ninjas, before blinking. "And, Elizabeth—or, erm, Mayze—well, you have a really...obvious Southern accent."

"I've never been to the South," I admitted sincerely. "But, I have been told that before. I'm not really sure _where_ I get it from, but I just have it."

She smiled at me again. "Well, just get your teachers to sign the pass, and after school gets out, bring it back here."

"Alright," I agreed brightly before returning her smile back to her. "Thanks."

Bella opened the door after that moment, and the cool wind against my burning face was so relieving that I let out a quiet sigh of content. Even though the color was gone, my face was still scorching hot.

The two of us walked out together. Bella wasn't looking up, which didn't surprise me. Her eyes were focused on every detail about her schedule, already memorizing it and calculating her estimate on how much study time each class would take.

I just looked at the names of the subjects. First, English; second, Spanish; third, history; fourth, trig; fifth, Biology, and sixth, P.E.

Fun, fun, fun, right? Well, period one through six isn't, but all the others are!

Yeah. I'm not really a school fan. I'd much rather be having fun at home, or with friends, or Bella, than be here at _school_. The word, to me, was a bad word. It's one word that should _never _be said.

"So," Bella finally said as she looked up from her schedule, now interested in the most obvious thing that we should've already been talking about. "What was that about? What did you do to him that I didn't see?"

"Nothing," I admitted truthfully, looking away from my boring, _white_ schedule and over to her. "I didn't do anything but accidentally bump into him."

"He seemed to be panicked as he walked inside, mad even," Bella observed cautiously, almost uncertainly. "Wonder why."

I shrugged wordlessly as I walked inside the school building, her right behind me. There were more people now. I mean, how can you go from having hardly anyone to hundreds in all of about five minutes?

That was one of the mysteries of life to me. I mean, why on Earth would you _rush_ to school?

"Here's the trig room," Bella informed me as she pointed to a classroom as we walked down the hallways, trying to just figure this place out—wouldn't take long. It was the first classroom on the left side. "This is my first period."

"Mine's English," I sighed.

"Isabella and Elizabeth Swan," a guy said as he walked in-between us. "Hi. It's so strange for us, you know, to have new students. We don't have any blood siblings in the same grade, two sisters anyways, so, you two are one of a kind."

"No," Bella and I said honestly in unison before we looked over at him, shaking our heads to go along with that.

"We're really not," Bella insisted, biting her lip.

"We're just two ordinary girls who just so happen to have the same parents and who just so happen to be in the same grade," I finished honestly, shrugging. "I mean, sure, we're best friends, we finish each other's sentences..."

"Talk in unison," Bella went on.

"And look somewhat, ish, alike," I finished, my nose scrunching with the bland, pretty much not true statement. "Or not. But, really."

"We're nothing special."

The boy blinked in surprise but then smiled brightly at us, as if we had just done something amazing. "Well, I wouldn't say that. You two are funny, the way you know what the other person is thinking. I'm the editor of the school newspaper, and you two are news, definitely. Front page, baby."

"No!" we both exclaimed in unison, eyes wide.

"We're really not," Bella insisted quickly again, stuttering over her words as she did so.

"We hate attention," I admitted truthfully, finding my own difficulties with words. "And, front page of the school newspaper isn't really..."

"Out of the center spotlight, you know?" Bella finished.

He laughed softly before giving us another vivid smile—slightly creepy, if you ask me. "Well, that's good to know. I'm Eric, by the way. Just let me know if either of you two need anything. A lunch date, a friend to double date with—a shoulder to cry on..."

We looked at each other and laughed, something that seemed to confuse and slightly offend him. I guess I understood, because we were laughing at the idea of us dating him—or so it seemed to him—but that wasn't it.

"Well," Bella started, knowing we had to explain ourselves so we didn't hurt his feelings.

"We're not really the dating type," I explained on, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal. "Unless it's just the right guy."

"I mean, sure, we'd double date if we both had a boyfriend at the same time," Bella added, but once she did, she regretted it, because she realized that it gave him hope again.

"But, we're not really the dating type," I emphasized again. "Other than Mr. Right."

He blinked, but you could see in his eyes how that disappointed him. He was truly sad now. Maybe we had ruined his day.

But, as I started to feel bad, he smiled again, but not as brightly. "Well, another good thing to know. Let me know if you need any help finding anything. I will be glad to help."

We both smiled at him. "Thanks."

He just blinked again before turning to walk off, no longer finding humor in this; more like finding it strange. Once again, in unison, we burst out laughing, because neither one of us cared what he thought about us.

"He was funny," Bella said humorously while nodding, eyes warm and bright. "Definitely disappointed though."

"Oh yeah," I agreed. "So, let me see your schedule."

Wordlessly, she handed it to me, and the two of us moved out of the middle of the hallway to get out of everyone's way. She continued looking around the hallway as I skimmed over her schedule. As far as I could see, none of them were alike...

"We have Biology together," I informed her as I gave her the schedule back after reading everything. "And that's it."

She nodded. "That works. It's not too many, but it's at least one."

"Yeah," I sighed before looking down at my feet, finding my converse oddly warm, despite the fact that they were solid black.

Bella nudged me suddenly, making me jump a little in surprise and look up at her in surprise. "Hey, Mayze. It's your bump buddy."

I rolled my eyes and pushed her over playfully, giving her my impish glare. "Shut up, Bella. At least I wasn't getting all flirty." I then imitated her without even the slightest bit of exaggeration. "Oh, Jake. You are _so_ funny." And, when I finished, I laughed, because I just couldn't help myself.

Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red as her eyes shot wide open, and embarrassment and joy flooded her chocolate pool. "Oh my freaking penguins. Did I seriously say that?"

I nodded, smiling brilliantly at her. "But, don't feel bad. Jake was just as bad. I can't remember anything he said, because I was too busy cracking up over what you said and what he was actually saying, but I remember that one thing you said." I laughed again.

She lightly punched my arm, making me jump a little. "Get to class, you dork," she ordered. "You need it."

I scowled at her. "Yes, _Mommy_."

She gave me a disapproving finger point before narrowing her eyes at me. "I'm the oldest."

I stuck my tongue out her, just to be a rebel and not do what she told me. "By fifteen months."

"Those were the best fifteen months of my life," she said histrionically as she looked up towards the ceiling, faking a sniffle as she did so. "Oh man, how I miss the good old years."

"You mean the good old months?" I asked curiously before laughing at her. "You were fifteen months old when I came."

She frowned. "Or...or that."


	4. 03: Eyes

**because i changed my name and probably made it hard to find, i'm just gonna post another chapter. please R&R. thanks. =)**

**oh! i changed it to where Bella and Mayze aren't twins, just sisters. Bella is still older, by now 15 months exactly. just thought i'd let you know, in case you had read the previous chapters and read they were twins.**

**OH! something else important was fixed in chapter 1. not the prologue. chapter 1. it's something that'll be stated later on too, so you don't necessarily have to go back, read it, and find it, but just letting you know that it was added.**

**

* * *

**Track 4. Let Me Go - 3 Doors Down

* * *

As I walked into the English room, which I had found all by myself—yeah, I'm not good at finding things, so that's an accomplishment—I saw the angel from before. He was with the small girl and the blonde guy with her. The small girl's eyes shot up to me, and then, she looked back at the bronze haired guy, a strangely bright smile now on her lips.

What did I do? Were they from some country where you shun anyone who touches you even accidentally if they weren't your husband, wife, or whatever?

I didn't know the answer, but I sure as hell wanted to. But, either way, I walked to the front of the room and handed the English teacher, Mrs. Sanders, the pass I had to get every teacher to sign.

She smiled warmly at me. "Hi. Which sister are you? I have it down somewhere, but I can't remember which one is this period and which one is next."

I laughed softly. "That happens a lot. I'm Elizabeth, but I go by Mayze, actually. It's a really long story. Oh, and, my sister goes by Bella, just as heads up. I wanna freak her out, and you calling her Bella definitely will."

She laughed too and nodded. "Alright, then. I will." She swiftly signed a piece of paper. "Alright. There's a desk open right back there. Third row, back seat."

I saw the bronze haired guy look over, and when I counted rows, I noticed why. His seat is on the fourth row, back seat. His sister was in front of him with the blonde haired guy in front of her.

As she handed me the pass, I softly smiled at her, making sure to hide the other emotions I was feeling, before walking back to the chair she had assigned. I wasn't sure if he was looking at me or not, but there was something bugging me...

I don't think I ever apologized for it. Even if I did, it wouldn't hurt to apologize again, right?

Using my peripheral vision, I looked over at him. He wasn't looking at me, but his siblings weren't facing him now. How weird would it be to apologize? I mean, I don't want him to hate me anymore than he already does. Apologizing couldn't hurt...

What am I thinking? It doesn't even matter if he likes me for it or not! I'm Elizabeth Swan, and I don't care.

But, for some reason, I did with him.

As I looked over at him and started to open my mouth, he abruptly turned to face me with a soft, toothless smile on his lips. His eyes were scrambled up and mixed with a bundle of emotions, just like I felt inside, but his face was warm. For a second, I was stunned, embarrassed even. I was sitting her with my mouth open, staring at him. Or, that's what he was seeing at least.

"Hi," he said softly, making my heart flutter inside my chest at an unhealthy speed. Well, it wasn't really _talking _that he was doing, or so it seemed. It was a beautiful sound…the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. It left me incoherent and suddenly dazzled.

Wow.

But, then, I got a grip and mentally slapped myself. That caused me to blink, but I finally smiled brightly back. "Hi. Sorry. I'm just...messed up today."

He laughed softly, but I made sure to swallow the butterflies _that_ gave me. If I thought his voice was beautiful...well, his laugh just added another thing to add to my beautiful sounds list. "Yeah. Me too. You probably think I'm crazy because of out there."

"No," I admitted as my cheeks started slightly burning. They were a light shade of pink. I could tell from the amount of heat. "I, well, actually, I'm really insane, but I kinda considered maybe you from another country and I offended you."

He laughed a little louder now, more amused than the laugh before. It was a sincere laugh. "Well, that's not…too crazy. I've come up with crazier." Then, he blinked. "Anyways, I apologize for how I acted out there. I was…being weird."

"I'm sorry for hitting you," I said honestly. "I am the world's biggest klutz. I mean, my sister, she's bad, but I'm…horrible."

He smiled at me. This time, the smile was a little brighter. "That's alright. Don't worry about it."

I smiled back in return. I couldn't help it. The smile he gave me was just too perfect to not smile back. It was like an unstoppable reaction."Alright. I'm Mayze, by the way."

"Edward," he informed me. "I'm Edward Cullen. But, yeah. I know, although I didn't know you go by Mayze. People have been talking about your arrival, along with your sister's, for a long time."

I groaned softly but continued smiling at him. "Really?"

He smiled again, showing his teeth a little this time. There was something about the toothy smile that made me feel like I was reacting wrong. My heart fluttered, but not out of fear. It felt like that's how I _should_ feel, but I'm not sure why. Why should I be afraid of a teenager's smile? A really, beautiful, hot, _sexy_ teenager.

Hey. I can't deny the truth.

"Really," he said slowly before his smile dimmed just a little and he gave me a confused expression, eyebrows furrowing to accentuate that. "You don't like attention?"

My eyes slightly widened as I slowly shook my head. "Oh no. We both _hate_ it. I mean, I'm not as bad as Bella about it, but...I don't like it."

The bell rang to start the period, and he smiled at me for another second. Then, he turned back to face the front.

I could see this, and I'm sure he could too; out of our peripheral vision, we were both looking at each other.

For some reason, there was this...feeling...inside of me. I'm not sure what it is, but it made me feel all warm and tingly. I suddenly felt...a tug, maybe, towards this boy sitting beside me, just a little over two feet away. My heart was racing in my chest, my blood was boiling, my lungs were rendering me unable to breathe; and I was suddenly nervous.

Why was I nervous? I'd been around good-looking men before. Granite, none of them even come close to almost slightly being close to good enough to even being eligible to be in the running to compare to the boy beside me, more angel than boy, but still. I had been around them. I never once got the slightest bit nervous.

But, here I was, heart racing, breathing struggled; and I felt as if I was on fire, even though it was actually pretty cold in here. I tried to make my breathing sound normal, and by the way no one seemed to notice, I figured I must've done well with that.

I wasn't sure, though.

The bell rang suddenly, causing me to jump a little in the air in surprise. Edward looked over at me, and as the two who were with him stood up, he gave them a look. With that, the two of them walked out, leaving just Edward and me.

I picked up my backpack and stood up out of the chair, looking at him with a curious look. Edward stood up too, but he was smiling at me, as if he didn't even notice my look.

I couldn't help but smile back, though, as my eyes moved down to the floor for a second. It was a physically painful thing to do—look away from him. "What?"

"Nothing," he said cheerfully before looking away and at my desk. He was still smiling, though, and I was still just as fucked up inside. "I just...I'm really...messed up right now. I feel...strange inside. Sorry if I'm freaking you out."

"No, no, no," I said swiftly, shaking my head. My smile brightened a little, though, when I heard this. So...he felt it too? "I feel the same way, and I'm honestly not sure why. Something is wrong with me. I'm insane. That's the only solution I have."

He chuckled softly. "Well, I'm right there with you. Don't worry."

"Yes!" I exclaimed eagerly, grinning up at him. "I have a loony bin buddy!"

He couldn't stop himself from laughing now, to the point he revealed his pearly white, perfectly straight teeth, making my heart thud forcefully in my chest—still rapidly.

This was getting painful, but so worth it.

Up to lunch, I had every class with Edward. We even walked to the lunchroom together, which made me very happy.

"So, why did you decide to move to move up here to the wettest place on the continental U.S. in the middle of the second semester of your junior year?"

I bit my lip softly as I looked away from his flawless face, out in front of me, and crossed my arms. "Well, it was Bella's idea, but it was a good one."

"Do you not like the guy or something?"

"Oh," I said softly, glancing at him for a second before looking back in front of me. "No. Phil's okay, I guess. I mean, I'm not his biggest fan, but I don't have a problem with him. I mean, my mom and Bella love him. But, he's a baseball player, so, he travels a lot. We both saw it made our mom sad to stay away from him to stay with us, so Bella, being the smart one out of the two of us, suggested we move up here, with Charlie."

He smiled softly again at me, reassuringly it almost seemed. Once again, he had those jumbled up, confused emotions bouncing around obviously in his eyes. "So, are you happy here?"

I couldn't help but smile up at him now as my eyes moved up to meet his gaze again. "_I_ am. I mean, school's not as bad here so far, and I love the rain and cold. I'd much rather be cold and wet than warm and dry. Rain, to me, makes everything better. Bella, on the other hand..." I made a face. "She hates it here. She'd much rather be in a pool with Mom in Phoenix than here with Charlie. She's more of a warm, sunny day kind of girl." I couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" he asked curiously with a smile as we continued walking towards the lunchroom. The way he was looking at me took me by surprise for a moment; looking at me as if I was the most important person in the world.

I loved that.

We were walking slowly, which was perfectly okay with me. Being around Edward, for some reason, was really relaxing and easy—the easiest thing I had ever done. It made me, well, happy.

"I guess it _would_ fit that her first crush is, temperature wise, one of the hottest guys you'll ever meet," I said truthfully before laughing again. "I mean, he is _literally_ scorching hot. I can't stand hugging him." I shook my head. "I'd much prefer cold."

There was another strange look in his eyes as he stared down at me. It was sort of thoughtful, but there was something else. The jumbled up emotions, for the first time today, weren't there. It was just two this time.

I looked back down, aware of the cherry that now colored my cheeks. There was something about the way he was looking at me that made me blush, but, honestly, I wasn't sure what or even, more importantly, _why_ I was. That part was the most confusing.

We were at the lunchroom right about then. The first person I saw was Bella, surrounded by about seven people, one of which was Eric. There was one seat left beside her, with her jacket stuck in it so no one would sit there. Beside her was a girl. She had light brown hair and emerald eyes, and she appeared to be about medium height with somewhat small curves. The guy beside the empty chair had dirty blonde hair with blue eyes and a childish looking face. He was sorta cute, but honestly, now that I had seen Edward, these other guys just couldn't compare.

"See you later," Edward said gently before walking away from me and over to another table, to my dismay. At this table were the people who had been walking with him earlier. Either they're his siblings, cousins, or really good friends. I can't really see the sibling thing though, since they don't look alike at all. Cousins, sure.

I was thankful, though, that all eyes were focused on Bella, where they belonged. Besides the people Edward was sitting with, who were now all giving him and me curious looks, besides the blonde girl—her eyes were blazing as she looked at me—no one noticed had even noticed I had come in.

I wonder what I did to her. I thought she was with the muscular guy, the way she clung to his arm a lot...

Bella looked up to me about then about then. A bright, sincere smile smothered the fake smile she had previously had on for the people who were crowding her. Unlike before, she was actually happy. She, without taking her eyes off me, picked up the jacket and pointed towards the seat, as if to say, "You come and sit your butt down."

That caused the people at her table to turn towards me, along with the others in the room. Now, instead of on Bella, where they still should be, most eyes were on me. My cheeks flushed, and my eyes were slightly widened.

So, I tried to just ignore it. That actually worked quite well.

"I call Elizabeth!" one of the guys sitting at Bella's table announced loudly. It was the one beside my empty chair. "So, ha! Suck on _that_, Tyler! You just completely lose!"

The guy beside Eric who was two seats down from my chair stood up. "Is that so, Mikeyboy?"

Then, Eric stood up and on his tiptoes so he was a few inches away from the guy's face. He started moving his index finger in a circular direction around his face. "Face, Tyler!"

The boy who had originally stood up gave him a playful death glare for a few seconds before he started chasing them both.

My eyes were completely widened as I sat down in my chair slowly, uncertainly. I was just staring straight ahead of me, where a girl with blonde hair was giving me a jealous look. Why, I'll never know. It wasn't nice—the look that is.

I didn't get it.

Bella laughed as she read my expression. "You get used to it, Mayze. The one beside you was Mike, and the one who was chasing them both was Tyler."

"You two are, like, the shiny, unique toys," the girl beside Bella informed us with a not so happy tone and an almost blank expression as she looked at the table. It sounded like she was trying to hide her emotions inside, her jealousy. "Well, unique here, at least."

Bella sighed deeply. "Great. So, the attention won't stop for a while."

I grimaced. "Whoo. _Joy_."

She laughed as she took a bite of a French fry. Her head turned towards the guys, who were still running. Something caught her eye, though, but she suddenly turned back to the girl beside her. "Who are they? I mean, the five sitting alone."

The girl briefly looked over, and that was when I noticed Bella meant Edward and the people he was sitting with. The girl had a strange, maybe even angry or jealous, expression on her face, but then, it just went completely blank except for the devious smile that spread across her lips. Her eyebrows quickly rose up as she said her reply. "The Cullens."

I straightened up in my seat but was otherwise still and silent. This topic now interested me, since Edward was so mysterious, already. He already had me wondering everything about him.

"The blonde girl, that's Rosalie. She's with Emmett, the really muscular one. On the other side of Emmett, there's Jasper, who for some reason always looks like he's in pain. He and Rosalie are twins. Unlike the other three, their last name is Hale. Beside Jasper, there's Alice. She's extremely weird, but she's a Cullen. I mean, she's strange, but she's got probably the best fashion sense I've ever seen. I've never seen her wear the same thing more than once."

"What about the other one?" Bella asked curiously before she looked over and grinned at me. She slightly nudged me in the side, around my ribs, with her elbow. "The one Mayze here ran into this morning on our way to the office."

The girl smiled wily again, now suddenly finding a sincere interest in me. "You ran into Edward Cullen?"

My cheeks suddenly started burning, so I quickly looked down to hide this. "Uh, yeah. I'm a klutz."

The girl beside her, who looked really nice just by her appearance and the…vibe, I guess you could say she gave off, laughed softly. "Every girl in this room, besides his sisters, would just _love_ to be you."

"So, you, like, actually touched him?" the first girl asked eagerly as she leaned closer to me. She looked, and acted, like the kind of girl who loves to gossip, and this was her next item on the agenda, the girl who bumped into Edward Cullen.

She's my exact opposite.

"Yeah," I said honestly before looking down again, no longer liking this conversation. What was the big deal? He's just the sexiest guy I had ever laid eyes on—the sexiest one I'm sure anyone had. "It was an accident. Uh, but, I mean, is that really a _huge_ deal?"

"Uh, _yeah_," the blonde haired girl who hasn't spoken yet said as she gave me a skeptical look. It was the one who I didn't understand her jealous look, and the one who was sitting across from me. "I mean, are you _blind_? Do you have working eyes?"

"Yeah," I said softly. "I mean, he's—"

"He doesn't date," the first girl interrupted, shaking her head in disbelief; as if it was a surprise I had asked that. She said back up straight, as if to pretend to be untouched and not offended by him and that fact. For a second, though, she gave herself away by making a sour face. "They moved up here from Alaska three years ago. Just don't even waste your time on him. There's never, apparently, anyone good enough for him." She scoffed. "Like we care."

But you could tell she did. She and the girl across from me both did. It aggravated them both. He didn't like either one of them, and you could tell they both thought very highly of themselves.

"He's really nice," I said honestly before shrugging, feeling as if I had to throw that in there to defend him. I looked at the table now, where my thumbs started twiddling at the unwanted topic we were on, and I started lightly gnawing on my lip. I didn't like this topic anymore.

"Looking," the first girl incorrectly finished. "He doesn't even talk to anyone. He keeps to himself. They all do."

"Well, he's beside me in all of my classes so far," I admitted as my eyes wandered over to him. He was staring thoughtfully at the table, almost as if he was listening to someone talk, almost. By the look in his eyes and on his face, he was confused and deep in thought. "We talked a lot, whenever we could. He seems like a really awesome person."

The first girl was just gawking at me when I turned back to face her. What was the big deal? I mean, don't get me wrong, Edward's gorgeous, but why dwell over him if he's obviously not interested?

When I turned to face him again, there was something different about him. This time, he was looking at me too. A bright smile spread across his lips, and he gave me a slight nod of his head.

I couldn't help but smile back at him and wave. There was still something about his smile that made me smile, even if I didn't want to. But, at that point, his eyes held mine. I couldn't look away, even if I had wanted to, which I didn't.

One of his siblings said something, though, and he turned away from me towards them. So, I took the escape I could and turned back forward before Bella started teasing me about the fact that I was staring.

"As I was saying," the original girl said before folding her arms up on the table. "They're together. I mean, I don't even think it's legal, and they live together. It's...weird."

"Jessica," Bella said softly before blinking. "I mean, it's not _il_legal, since they're not actually related. And, who knows? Maybe they're really married and are just not open about it. You just never know."

The girl made another face. I'm guessing, by the way she responded, she was Jessica.

The bell rang to go to fourth period, and I was up before anyone else. It made me very curious to see if maybe I had Biology with him too.

Hopefully I did.

Bella grabbed my arm and locked ours together, before I could do anything. "Come on, little sis."

I frowned at her, and she just laughed. "By fifteen months, okay?"

She kept laughing.

"And if I'm your _little _sister, why am I almost six inches taller?" I challenged.

Now, she was scowling at me, for a good ten seconds, before she muttered, "Let's just get to Biology."


	5. 04: Expressions

**oh my. it's been FOREVER since i got a review. but, like promised, as soon as i got a review, i would put more. so, to the one reviewer, here you go. :) the next chapter.**

* * *

04. Monster: Skillet

* * *

When I walked into the Biology room, it shouldn't have surprised me to see Edward sitting there, in the back row, middle section, with the girl Jessica had said was Alice. It was just the way things were working out.

He smiled up at me, and his eyes briefly wandered over to Bella. They weren't even there for a second, which was shocking to me, before they went back over to me, bright and full of those strange emotions again.

It was really hot in here, something I noticed instantly when I came in. I guess that's why there was a rotating fan set up at the front of the room. Maybe the AC is broken.

The fan turned towards Bella and me, and I couldn't help but sigh in relief. When I say it's hot in here, I mean it's _hot_.

Suddenly, Edward stiffened in his seat. His eyes slightly widened, and they were suddenly blazing with a burning fire. His jaw just completely locked. The way he was looking at me, and possibly Bella too, it was like he hated us and was thinking of ways to murder us—slaughter us even.

For the first time since I met him, I think I was getting the right reaction. He was sorta scaring me with this new look I was getting. I mean, did he hate me now because of Bella? That just wouldn't make sense, because he's never even met her. And, if so, fuck him.

I just turned away from his death glare and towards Bella, who wasn't even paying attention. We weren't locked together, like we had been in the lunchroom. That was ended when Mike, Eric, and Tyler all came and stood on one side of us.

The Biology teacher, Mr. Banner, turned to face us with the smile. "Ah. The sisters. You two look…so different." He laughed. "Which you probably get a lot." He started studying our faces now with a thoughtful, serious expression. "Now, let me take a wild stab in the dark."

I looked over at Bella with a grin. She was grinning too, but then, we both went completely serious as we looked back at him.

He pointed to Bella. "Elizabeth, and..." he pointed to me. "Isabella."

"Actually," Bella corrected. "I'm Bella, and that's Mayze."

His shoulders sank. "Well, drats." Then, he frowned. "Mayze?"

"Yeah; long story," I said truthfully with a nod before shooting Bella a smirk. "But, we get that a lot. It's from people who know Bella's the oldest, usually; since I'm the tallest, they assume I'm older."

"By seven and a half inches!" Bella protested, glaring up at me. "And, you don't ever let me forget it."

I shook my head. "Nope; that's because you don't ever let me forget the fact that you're fifteen months older."

"Hey," she said firmly as she pointed to me. "That's four hundred and fifty-five days you don't have."

"And that's soon-to-be eight inches _you_ don't have," I shot back. "So, therefore, I win."

She just stuck her tongue out at me before crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest.

Mr. Banner laughed. "Well, girls, you two are definitely funny. I'm afraid, though, for the sake of learning, we'll have to put you with other people." His eyes started scanning the room. "Alright. One of you can be with Edward, and the other can be with Alice in the table in front of theirs. Who wants to be with which?"

From the doubtful look on his face, he seemed to be expecting some sort of argument. I could tell why too.

He knew that most girls would fight over who got to be with Edward and who didn't.

"I'll be with Alice," Bella offered, a little too quickly for my taste, before smirking over at me. "That's fine with me."

Mr. Banner let out a sigh of relief as he realized there would be no protest, because Bella had been the odd one to say someone else. "Alright. That's perfect."

I shot Bella a dark look as my heart started racing. I mean, who cares now, right? He hates me. Well, why am I still getting these stupid, fucking emotions still? Why are all these reactions—butterflies filling my stomach, an electric current rushing through my entire body and boiling my blood, a tight restriction on the airflow my lungs are allowed to produce, and a major increase in the speed of my heart—happening still?

Edward's jaw tightened even further as he looked back at his sister. She whispered something to him before standing up, something no one had a chance in hell of hearing. She gave Bella a warm, friendly smile as they sat down in their desk.

Everyone was sitting down.

Except, I was still just standing there.

It's the loneliest feeling in the world—to find yourself standing up when everyone else is sitting down; to have everybody look at you and say, "What's the matter with her?" I know what it feels like—it was happening now. Like walking down an empty street, listening to the sound of your own footsteps. Shutters closed, blinds drawn, doors locked against you. And you aren't sure whether you're walking toward something, or if you're just walking away.

Edward looked up at me, and the look he gave me hurt, really badly, for some odd reason. It was a look of sheer hatred and anger, as if I was the worst person he had ever met; a disgusting, despicable creature.

I just swallowed everything. Well, I tried swallowing to see if it would work. It didn't work, at all, but I forced myself to walk back there and sit down and pretend that it did.

Edward didn't turn to face me though. His fingers tightened around the bottom of the table, and something screeched softly. Most people wouldn't have heard it, though, if they weren't paying attention. I was looking at him, though, almost unwillingly, and I noticed his fingers made an impression in the table. His _fingers_ made an _impression_ in the _metal table_.

I was gawking at his hands. It was just another one of those damned reactions I couldn't help.

His eyes shot over to me in an instant, and his jaw locked even more before his hands covered his face. The bell must've rang somewhere during my insanity moments, which were still going on, because I faintly heard Mr. Banner in midsentence about whatever the lesson was on today.

Bella and I had already taken Biology, but this was the highest science that was open, so, we had no choice. It was this or Physical Science, and we'd rather not take that again.

Bella didn't even turn though, so I knew she hadn't heard it. I saw Edward's fingers rubbing under the table, smoothing out the places where he had bent the metal, almost silently. So, first he makes an impression, and then he fixes it _silently_.

I was gaping slightly now. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mr. Banner writing something on the board, so I knew I was safe. Edward's head turned towards me, and his eyes were like a blazing, never-ending fire as he stared at me now. It was more intensified, as if I did something wrong while sitting here beside him. His eyes were, honestly, calculating at the same time.

What was up with him?

I thought when the period was finally over, and he was out of the room before anyone else, that it would be a relief.

Until he ended up in my last class too, where he ended up avoiding me completely and acting as if I didn't even exist.

When I got out of gym, Bella was waiting for me. For some reason, her class must've gotten out earlier than mine, because, sure enough, there she was.

Mike had been in my P.E. class, along with the nice girl from lunch, Angela, and the one who had been across from me, Lauren.

Edward's siblings started walking out, and he was behind all of them. He just swiftly and wordlessly walked past me. I stared after him, and when his eyes met mine, they hadn't changed at all. They were _scorching_ and heartbreaking.

I looked away sharply and at Bella. "Alright. Let's just get home."

But she noticed now. Her eyes looked over towards where his silver Volvo was pulling out of the parking lot and then back to me. "What's up with your really sexy bump buddy?"

I let out a quick, frustrated breath. "Honestly, Bells, I have no clue." With that, I just walked off towards the office. I could feel Bella giving me a questioning look, but I didn't turn. I wanted to just get out of here as quickly as I possibly could.

The ride home was silent. Bella was giving me strange looks, but I was too deep in my own thoughts to say anything reassuring for her, like I normally would have.

Why did he just suddenly hate me? I mean, he hates Bella too, and she's never even talked to him before. What was it? And, how did he make an _impression_ in the _metal table_? What is up with him?

When we got home, before we could even get the front door unlocked, Charlie's cruiser pulled up with a red and gray 2000 Ford 450 pulled behind it.

Jake jumped out of the front seat, and Bella's dismal, worried eyes suddenly brightened. I couldn't help but smile softly as she suddenly ran off the porch and over to Jacob.

His jaw tightened, and his eyes widened in horror as he stared at her. For a second, he recoiled back like she had just slapped him. It was…odd.

Bella gave him the same questioning look she had given me earlier, but this time, it was mixed in with pain. This time, she thought _she _had done something wrong.

Billy gave her the same funny look after Jake got him in his wheelchair and he rolled where he could see her, except he didn't look surprised. Well, he kinda did, but it was mostly fear that was fueling his look.

Charlie got out of his cruiser then. He looked at Billy, Jake, and Bella, but he was like me. If it wasn't absolutely valuable information that he just had to know, which he took this as something he didn't, then he didn't want to know. He was one of those need-to-know-only kinds of people, like me.

He smiled up at me as he walked up the stairs of the porch. "Hey, Mayze. How was your day?"

"Great," I semi-lied, semi told truthfully, forcing a fake smile to spread across my lips. He wouldn't have noticed it though, even though I am a horrible liar. If I ever manage to get the lie out without stuttering over every other word, then I'm great. But, getting it out is usually the problem. My expressions are never an issue, because I'm a damn good actress. "It was a lot better than the school in Phoenix. This place is amazing."

His smile brightened further as I said this. I had told him I liked it better with him than Renée, which, I had to be honest, was better. He wasn't, so far, constantly worrying and demanding to know everything. Right now, he was just seeing if I had a good day or not, which was perfectly fine. "Well, that's good. I'm glad you like it here."

My smile got more sincere now. "I am too." I glanced over at Bella, Jake, and Billy for a second before looking back at him. Now, they were all talking normally, Jake and Billy smiling as Bella talked.

"So," he said softly before grabbing the brass doorknob and resting his hand there. "Did you make any friends?"

I bit my lip. "I think so. I talked to Edward Cullen a lot today. He seems nice." _Until the last two periods today_, I mentally added so it would be the truth. Just because he didn't hear it doesn't mean it didn't make it true.

"That's a nice family," he agreed before opening the door. He didn't step in though. "Dr. Cullen is an amazing surgeon."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake gawking at me. His eyes were now showing only one emotion.

Fear.

As Charlie walked in, I turned towards Jake. Billy looked a little worried, but he had a fake smile plastered on his face. Jake was just standing behind his wheelchair, frozen in fear, as Bella went on about our home in Phoenix.

What the heck?

The second Bella was done talking, Jake looked down at her with a blank face but "bright" smile. Bella wasn't good at reading things like this, so she didn't even notice how fake both of their expressions really were.

When it came to truths or lies, Bella wasn't good at reading.

Jake started pushing Billy up the stairs with Bella right in front of them. She gave me a warm smile. "I'm gonna go put my backpack upstairs and start dinner. You guys hungry?"

"Starving," Billy said honestly before smiling up at her. It was half-sincere, half not. "Thanks, Bells. Charlie can really use a cook."

Bella grinned at me. "Good thing one of us actually can."

But, I was too irritated and confused for her jokes. I was irritated because I hate being confused, and I was too confused because of the whole confusing Edward thing; the fact that he messed up metal, and Jake and Billy's reaction to Bella when she walked up and when I said I had met the Cullens today. So, I just sighed and said, "Bella, that was once."

That seemed to hit her, hard. Usually, I would smile or something. She may not be a good sincere/fake reader, but she wasn't completely unobservant. "Oh. Right."

Her tone was hurt, but she just walked inside.

I groaned softly and rubbed my temples.

Billy whispered something up to Jake, but I didn't listen. Billy rolled inside, leaving me and Jake alone on the porch. He shut the door behind himself too, which made things even weirder.

Jake looked at me. "I need to talk to you, alone."


	6. 05: Lie

**:) R&R for more! remember. with each review, you get a new chapter. so, continue reviewing if you want more. :) yes. it's only, like, 4 reviews, but you know what? i could care less. if one person wants to read it, that's worth the effort i put into writing it and getting it up here. :) so, enjoy, please, and continue reviewing. cause it really helps, and it gives you more . . . :D**

* * *

**05. St. John: We Are the Fallen**

* * *

For a second, I just stared at him in surprised and wonder. Was this about Bella, or was it an explanation of everything else I was confused about? What the fuck is going on?

So, I just followed him into the woods wordlessly. I wasn't sure what this was about, and, honestly, if it wasn't about the confusing topics, I was going to force them out of him anyways. So, he might have something else to say, but in the end, I would get my answers.

I had to.

When he stopped suddenly, somewhere deep in the woods, I put one hand on my hip and cocked it to the side, eyebrows raised in question. "What is it?"

"Mayze," Jake said gently, quietly, as he swiftly turned to face me. His voice was nervous and angry at the same time, yet he was trying to remain calm. And the look on his face was absolutely heartbreaking, because this boy looked _terrified_, and I didn't understand why. "Stay away from the Cullens."

For a minute, I was at a loss for words, mostly due to confusion. But the surprise at his strange reactions to such a strange request was another silencing factor.

Wait, he knew them? How? Why did I need to stay away? Besides the fact that Edward's bipolar and really strong . . . .

It didn't take me a moment longer to realize Jake knew something I didn't.

I stared suspiciously at him with tight lips and narrowed eyes. "Why?"

"I can't say," he admitted, his face twisting into a look of pain before turning away from me. "And, I'm sorry for that. If I could, I would, but I can't. All I can say is they're dangerous. You don't need to be around them."

I stubbornly crossed my arms. "Jake, I don't like being confused. So, until I get some answers, I'm not staying away. I'll just ask Edward, if he's not giving Bella and me evil looks again tomorrow—"

"What?" Jake interrupted loudly. His tone was angry again—furious, actually. Much worse than last time. "He was _what_?" Jake suddenly started shaking violently, more violently than I had ever seen an angry person shake. His teeth were grinding and gnarling together, and a vicious snarl seemed to be erupting from his body. "He . . ."

But he didn't say anything else, didn't really get the chance to. He suddenly exploded, right in front of my eyes, and within a second, there was a _massive_ russet colored wolf replacing him.

My mouth fell wide open as I backed up against the tree behind me in pure terror, my own frame shaking now. _This _was the right reaction to something like this. The way I reacted to Edward wasn't.

"J-Ja-Jake?"

The wolf's eyes were dark brown, almost black, just like Jake's were. They had the same mystifying swirl Jake's did, and there was a sense of comfort as I stared into them. There was no denying it was Jake—not even taking into consideration that I watched him explode into this thing.

I was panting as I stared incredulously at him, my heart pounding leisurely in my chest. His eyes seemed to be widened in horror, and before I could say anything, he took a couple steps back away from me. Then, after gawking at me for a good bit, he turned and ran off deeper into the woods, faster than I had ever known wolves could run.

Then again, he _was _bigger—bigger than any creature I had ever seen.

Where was he going?

It took a few minutes to regain my cool and appear normal, but, once I did, I decided it would be best to go inside. It took longer than it should have for my legs to turn from the jelly-like mush they currently were to where they were at least hardened jelly-like mush that I could walk with. They wobbled here and there, but I managed to get inside without killing myself, or tripping more than three times.

Which is a record in itself. I can't even normally do that most of the time.

As hard as it was to do, I managed to compose myself and keep a "happy" face on as I opened the front door. "Hey, guys. Sorry. Jake wanted to ask me something."

Charlie smiled warmly at me. "No problem."

Bella didn't turn from the pot. She had to have gotten the wrong idea, because her fingers tightened on the wooden spoon she was stirring whatever she was making for dinner with. She was mad now, maybe even jealous.

I sighed. This wasn't gonna be good—at all.

Billy's eyebrows furrowed. "Where's Jake?"

_You have to lie_, I told myself firmly, finding my heart aching with the realization that there was no other choice. Deep down, I knew that. If I didn't lie well, Jake's secret would be discovered, and he wouldn't give me answers.

I _had _to have these answers.

"He had to go do something," I lied, surprisingly smoothly, before forcing a smile at him, a smile for all of them. "He went back home for something. He didn't say what though."

Charlie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he glanced out the window really quickly before looking back at me. "The truck's still here. How did he get there?"

Crap. Another one? I doubt I'll be able to do two in one day . . . .

I swallowed, visibly I might add, and took a silent deep breath. "He, uh, I think one of his friends, Sam picked him up. At least I think that was his name. I mean, you know Jake doesn't like driving unless absolutely necessary, since it's not quite legal."

That was the biggest lie I've ever told. Did he even have a friend name Sam?

I sure hoped so. Sam was a fairly common name. If not, I could find my way out of this lie by saying I don't remember.

That was believable for me.

"Sam Uley?" Charlie asked Billy incredulously, eyes slightly widened. "Since when are those two buds?"

"Have been for about a month now," Billy answered sincerely as he stared at me, eyes calculating my expression and composure. I felt like I was being interrogated, spied on even, even though he wasn't uttering a single word. It was just that gaze. "He's made a few more close friends; brothers, even, this past month."

Holy crap. He did have a friend named Sam.

Score!

I just faked another smile. "Well, I've got homework, so, I'm gonna go do that."

With that, I bolted upstairs to my room, avoiding anyone's looks or questions. I ran as fast and silently as my jelly legs would allow. Shockingly, with jelly legs, I was extremely less klutzy. I managed to run the entire distance to my room without tripping.

Once I shut my door, I let out a deep sigh and ran my fingers through my hair.

Now I was even more confused! I didn't get any of the answers I was looking for! I just got more confused!

_Damn you, Jake._

I threw all my books on my bed and sighed deeply before sitting down on the edge of my bed. I started gently massaging my temples to calm myself and then opened my Trig book.

As I read the first homework problem, everything I saw made absolutely no sense, despite the fact I'd taken this before too. I'd used this exact book even, and I'd done this problem perfectly before. I remember it.

I was just too confused. So, since Trig was my only homework, I threw the book across the room and laid back. Maybe, if Jake even came back, he would be able to explain everything, and I'll be able to do it.

Or maybe he won't and I'll fail my homework.

But, I just clung to the thought that he would as my head started asking—well, more like demanding—for answers to all the unanswered questions floating around in there. And believe me, at this point, there were a _lot_.

When I heard someone knock on the door downstairs a few hours later, I jumped up in surprise. I must've fallen asleep . . . .

I raced down the stairs, hoping, praying it was Jake, so I could get some answers and do my homework. Then, when I got them, I would talk to Edward about it tomorrow at school and confront him about whatever.

But, Jake was just smiling brightly, unaffected by the fact that he turned into a _wolf _right in front of me. He seemed normal and undisturbed, except when he looked at me. I could see the lie in his eyes as he put on his own happy mask.

So, after Billy and Jake left, I had to force myself to do my homework. It was just seven problems, but those seven problems took five hours. I had to read over every one about seventy times, probably no exaggeration, before I realized what it said. Whenever I'm confused, I'm worthless; in case you haven't figured that out, and I'm really . . . I guess you could say moody, because I hate it. I don't snap at anyone, but I'm not perky like normal.

It was about midnight when I finally got done. Jake and Billy had left at seven, and that's when I got started.

He hadn't helped me at all, like I had hoped. It was a big let down, and I hated it. I knew I would never be able to sleep, so, I decided to email Renée. If I was lucky, she wouldn't look at the time and flip out on me. Then again, I could confuse her by going into the time difference. Emailing, to me, seemed pointless. Were they settled down?

When I logged onto my email, though, I got my answer. Yes. They were. There were multiple emails sent, a lot with the subject, _Mayze, why aren't you responding?_ One, though, was, _Permanent Home_, so, that's how I can say they were settled down.

I clicked on that and deleted the others. Knowing Renée, they were just overly worried emails asking how I was and stuff.

* * *

**Hey girls!**

**Well, by the title, you two can probably figure out. We've settled down now. We've got a house in Jacksonville, Florida. Oh my gosh! It's so adorable! You two would have your own rooms, your own bathroom. The whole ordeal. There's even a pool.**

**I mean, whenever you get tired of Forks—which as small and boring as it is, that shouldn't take long—let me know, and I'll arrange for you both to move back. Mayze, you'll probably like it for a while, but if Bella starts absolutely hating it there, which wouldn't surprise me if she already does, move back, please? I miss you two so much. Life around the house is so hectic.**

**Which reminds me. Bells, where is my blue strapless party dress? We're going to a formal party tonight, and I can't find it anywhere. Do you remember what happened to it?**

**Email back, and that means you too Mayze.**

**Love,**

**Mom**

* * *

I sighed. She was so hopeless without us. Knowing her, it's in her clothes box she hasn't unpacked yet.

I hit the reply button.

* * *

**Mom,**

**Hey. Sorry it took so long. I mean, all of three days, right? :)**

**Yeah. I'm still the same Mayze. Forks hasn't done anything but make me happier. I **_**love**_** it here!**

* * *

Another lie. I _did_ love Forks, but all it's done is make me more confused.

* * *

**But, I'll let you know when Bella starts hating it, since she never will. You know Bella . . . .**

**We'll try to visit ASAP, and hey, you never know. Bella will probably kill me, but there's a guy she's interested in here, and he's interested in her. Oh my tigers, I love Jake. He's the coolest guy I've ever met. And, temperature wise, he's **_**extremely**_** hot. He's absolutely perfect for Bella in every way. Who cares if he's a year and two months younger? **_**I**_** certainly don't, and neither do they. Although, they're both too stubborn to admit it.**

**You know Bella. But, you also know I'll end up winning. :) Even Jake's not **_**that **_**stubborn. But, I really do think you'll like him too. Charlie even likes him. It's his friend, Billy Black's, son. He's awesome.**

**Anyways, I've gotta get in the bed. School's **_**awesome**_** here. Everyone is so nice, and I've made a few friends, already. :) love you!**

** —Mayze**

* * *

After sending the email, I sighed. Then, I closed out of my email and shut off my computer. It was a lot easier to lie over email than it was in person. I mean, most of it was true, except that one lie . . . .

That's what this day consisted of, isn't it? Lie after lie after lie after lie after mother fucking lie!

I'm so confused!


	7. 06: Consuming

**:) and here is chapter 6! thank you for continuing to review. one review per chapter is all i ask for, and i love that i'm getting one review from different people each time. it's pretty awesome. :) well, either way, thank you for continuing to read and review. please do continue. :) it makes me smile, and i write faster and better. honest. my mind works eagerly and thinks of where to go next . . . even though i've gotten pretty far anyways.**

**at any rate, chapter 6! :) enjoy**

* * *

**06. Fingernails: Skillet  
07. Where is My Head: Hey Monday**

If you want, I'm making a playlist of all the song.  
I'll put the link on my profile. :)  
So, yep. Easy way to hear them if you want.

* * *

***Edward***

The second I shut the car door, I let out a deep, aggravated puff. There was something terribly wrong here, something I had goofed up and allowed to happen.

This girl caught my attention. She interests me. That can't be happening! To make it worse, when she caught my attention, I let her hold it, and I drove it in. I had her thinking we were friends, and I found myself enjoying her company. It was almost like a drug, her company. Her scent was amazing, beyond belief, but I got so addicted to it that I didn't wanna hurt her, for fear I would lose the smell.

Yet, at the same time, the monster inside of me was eager to slaughter her and drink up every little drop.

Things got so much worse when they were together—the two demons haunting me. Although they both seemed like very nice girls, I wanted them both dead; I wanted to be as far away from them as I could possibly get.

Alice was the first one in the Volvo. Her green hazel eyes were instantly on me as she got in, studying me carefully and calculating every part of my expression—my emotions. Then, when everyone else got in, she looked away from me, only briefly. I didn't understand why she was studying me so intently at first, but then I realized it was to study me before anyone else could.

Once _they_ were in, it felt like every eye was on me. Rosalie was glaring coldly, but she was purposely not thinking about anything except rude jabs towards me.

What did I do to _her_? It's not like I took anything from her or said something rude about her. She still has everything she had before, and I would never say anything even somewhat rude about her that she doesn't already know.

Alice was still watching me, her thoughts now screaming much louder than her expression was. _Edward, wanna explain?_

I sighed, shaking my head slightly, before hanging it low. "No."

She rolled her eyes and then rephrased. _Well, you have to. Everyone's wondering. If we need to, we can leave._

I shook my head, my teeth gritting together in frustration. She didn't understand how appealing that was, how tempting. If only I could, though. How could I do that to my family, though?

"I can't do that."

_Yes you can. You're not hooked yet._

"I mean," I corrected softly before turning to look at her. I didn't have to watch the road as I drove. My vampire reactions were all I needed. "I can't do that to you guys, unless I went alone, which could happen."

She shook her head firmly, now glaring at me. _You're not leaving us. If you go, we all go. And, besides, do you honestly think Esme will just let you leave?_

My hard, icy expression I had worn since after lunch finally softened as I looked back out the window. "She can't stop me if she doesn't know."

_This is getting really irritating,_ Emmett irately thought at me, kicking the back of my seat for an added measure. _We all know what you're talking about. We just don't know what Alice is thinking. Try talking out-loud before I knock you senseless_.

I couldn't help but grin at Emmett's attempt to threaten me. We both knew he wouldn't be able to do anything, and that drove him _crazy_. "I'd like to see you try, Em."

He grunted. "Well, even if I can't, talk, Alice. We know he's got some weird fascination with that one chick, and that's what you're talking about. Just talk out-loud."

"No we're not," Alice protested as she turned around in her seat and looked at him, scowling. "He's talking about leaving, and I pointed out how Esme would _never_ let him. Well, that's the last thing he responded to. So, there." She stuck her tongue out at him then like a little child, which Jasper found amusing.

Emmett then smacked the side of my head while I couldn't move to get away from it. I mean, I'm trapped in a car. Where am I supposed to go? The floorboard?

"You moron! We're not leaving, and neither are you. I mean, sure, if you really think you'll kill her . . . ."

My teeth ground together. "It's not me I'm worried about. I'm sure, with time, I'll be able to get used to it. I already got used to _her_ scent alone—a bit too used to it, if you ask me. It's just whenever they're both together . . . ."

"It's just one period," Alice pointed out helpfully. She sat back normally in her seat to look at me better. "I'll help you. Besides, Bella and I are gonna be best friends one day. I've seen it. Sure, Bella's gonna be with Jacob, but—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I interrupted loudly as I quickly turned to face her, eyes slightly widened in shock. What? Jacob? As in Jacob Black? "Do you mean . . . ?"

"Yes," she said decisively while nodding, saying it very carefully. "But, he doesn't even know they know you, I don't think. The treaty doesn't say anything about _being_ with a human."

My teeth ground together again, and for everyone's own good, I turned away from her and back to the road. She had just killed my shock. Now, I was back to being angry. "Alice, forget it!"

"But, you already like her," she insisted, almost pouting. "And, you'll be happy with her."

Then, her thoughts changed from this subject to purple unicorns, out of nowhere it seemed. She knew otherwise, and I had learned otherwise. Whenever it randomly changed like that, I always knew that meant she was hiding something.

My eyes narrowed. "Alice, what have you seen?"

"Nothing of consequence," she said lightly as she adjusted herself in the seat to where she was facing everyone in the back, saying it like it was no big deal. Her thoughts purposely didn't drift.

I still haven't figured out how someone so small can be so utterly irritating, but sometimes, I honestly contemplated smacking her.

"Well, I don't care what you saw," I said firmly, deciding in that moment that I would stick to this. "I _am_ not and _will_ not _ever_ be with her. Alice, let's not even get into how hard it would be for all of us. Do you even realize how dangerous that would be for her? How dangerous _we _would be?"

"She won't mind," she assured me, giving me a bright smile. "And, well, her futures are kinda sketchy, since she's human, but I'm pretty sure she's about to find Jake at her house, since her future just disappeared." Then, her eyes widened. "Oh no!"

With those two words, I was instantly back to looking at her, this time in horror rather than shock. She saw Mayze riding in the car, not looking at Bella as Bella drove in their black Jeep Wrangler. Then, it all went completely black. Her future just disappeared, out of nowhere.

"Alice, look farther!" I pleaded.

I was suddenly unaware of everything, all of my surroundings. All I could force myself to focus on was Alice's visions of how Mayze was.

"You idiot!" Rose roared furiously as she leaned across the front seat to take the wheel. I wasn't sure _why_, but she did. I was too focused on Alice, though, to really notice.

Then, Alice saw her again, this time driving to school, a brilliant smile brightening her already beautiful features and giving me a warm, bubbly feeling inside. Bella was giving her funny looks, but Mayze didn't even seem to notice.

Typical Mayze—oblivious to the most obvious things around her.

I let out a sigh of relief as I took the wheel back, momentarily not realizing what was really going on. Rose smacked the side of my head forcefully before sitting back down, a scowl making her usually beautiful face dark, sinister. "Why in the hell are you so interested in a stupid human anyways? She's not important."

I let out a soft, involuntary growl, something that surprised me more than any of them. But, I went on to add, "Maybe not to _you_."

"Rose," Alice said gently as she turned in her seat again to this time face her. "I wouldn't be too mean. One day, you and Mayze are gonna be the best friends, like me and Bella, except, regretfully, closer—sisters."

Rose snorted, as if the idea was too farfetched to even be considered a slight possibility. She made it seem like the idea was a fantasy. "Sisters my ass."

Alice frowned. "You don't even know her. You just know she's really, really, _really _gorgeous! I mean, oh my gosh! Bella's beautiful too, but Mayze's eyes give her that extra . . . pow! And, I like her hair better." Her lips pursed. "She's got a much prettier face too, although Bella looks like their mom. To be honest, I don't know _who _Mayze looks like."

Rose just let out a frustrated huff before glowering out her window, pouting as per usual when things didn't go just her way. I looked back at her through the rearview mirror to try and see why this bothered her so much, more so than the obvious reason—it was just stupid and selfish and wrong of me to do. Since she wasn't thinking about anything but her reflection, it was hard to figure her out.

So, I just gave up for now, but I knew I would find out later.

Suddenly, I realized what I had just done; it hit me in an instant, out of what seemed like nowhere. I had . . . I had been so concerned with a girl I met _today_ to even . . . I almost ran off the road!

My eyes widened in horror as I continued to drive down the road, towards out house. It was a gruesome thought, to be so caught up in a human who's so close to a werewolf; or, just any human period. I hadn't even meant to talk to her, but she was just so intriguing . . . I mean, I couldn't hear her thoughts, or her sister. That didn't bother me as much, though.

But, she just captivated me and left me unable to do much of anything except talk to her. I had to use every ounce of will power I had in me to avoid her once Biology rolled around, and I honestly wasn't sure how long I could keep it up. I knew, without a doubt, that it wouldn't last forever. Eventually, I was going to give up, and I would be back to being her friend—if she would even let me.

I was suddenly a little jealous of Alice at the same time as my grieving was going on, along with my hatred towards myself. Poor Jasper was probably so  
confused . . . .

From the looks in his eyes, he was. I hadn't been paying attention to his thoughts, or anyone else's for the moment anyways, for my thoughts were just too chilling, too painful—captivating, though. _Um, Edward? What in the hell is up with you?_

I just sighed as I pulled into the long, three mile narrow driveway of ours. "I don't know, Jazz. I just don't know."

But, even at home, with so many things to distract me, nothing stopped me from doing things I shouldn't, things that were literally life or death, it seemed, i.e. think about her. I tried not to remember her beautiful face . . . her perfect voice . . . or her perfect just . . . everything.

Then again in lockdown, you can't really do much of anything, especially in just one room; a room full of books you've read fifty times, almost; full of CDs you've listened to a hundred times, easy; and that was it.

They had Emmett and Jasper set up outside my window, in case I tried to escape that way. Alice and Esme were outside my door, so, even if I did get out the door, they would shout and alert Emmett and Jasper, who would stop me, if Esme and Alice didn't themselves.

Yeah. They didn't want me going, as you can probably tell. Alice could still see the thought in my mind, though. I mean, there _are _ways to get out . . . .

I have _many_ reasons to leave, reasons I feel like I have to leave. I'm getting too caught up in a human, for one; and another, I'm getting caught up in a human whose best friend is a werewolf. I'm _too_ caught up in her for _anyone's_ own good—mine and hers alike. From the second I saw her, I was intrigued. This could get bad, to the point it affected other humans around us.

When I saw her, there were so many emotions going through my mind. I mean, I was, for the first time, I felt _alive_. I finally felt like I had a purpose. My cold, dead, non-beating heart was warm, just from looking at her. When our skin made contact, it burned. Except, there was no pain. It felt _good. _ I suddenly wished there were more ways our skin touched. Then, after looking at her for a second, and seeing her curious, beautiful eyes, and her beautiful face, I realized I couldn't hear her. _That _got me more curious. Now, since I've talked to her and got to know her . . . .

Oh man. That was all a mistake. I should've changed my schedule the second I saw hers, but I was already interested. I made a decision, in a brief moment, to be a selfish, cruel monster.

That's when I realized something else. My curiosity has already taken over me, making me do things I really shouldn't. Who says it won't do it again when I leave? I mean, if I keep a safe distance from her and stay far away from both of them together, then everything will be okay, right?

Leaving wouldn't solve anything, because I wouldn't be able to stay away. This girl had captured me, left me standing on a thin line between right and wrong. She was on the wrong side, and my family was on the right. It should've been an easy decision to make, but it wasn't—because of her.

I heard Alice let out a sigh of relief outside my door. "It's about time! Guys, he's not leaving! You can go on with your lives now!"

I was too consumed in my thoughts though to notice what she was thinking when she walked in. By the way she was staring at me, I could tell she was trying to tell me something important.

Then, her eyes just suddenly lit up, surprising me and her, it seemed. She had seen something, but I wasn't sure what it was. When I tried to see, she quickly started thinking of pink pandas.

So, I just went back to my own thoughts as she blissfully skipped out of my room, leaving me alone again.

Strange, strange little girl . . . .


	8. 07: Terror

**here we go! :D sorry it's been so long, but i just got a review this morning, so here it is. :D thanks for reading and reviewing, to those of you who are. if you don't mind, please continue doing that. it really does help with modivation and such.**

**so, here ya go.**

**oh. a warning. some events are very much like in the actual series, but it's obviously my twist with Mayze. but, things are very similar later on, and then they drastically change. so, just a warning. after the second part to this series, nothing is the same. promise.**

**well...no. not that i can think of. :)**

**08. Sleepless Nights: Faber Drive**

* * *

***Mayze***

Sleep . . . I fell asleep? That's possible?

But, of course, it didn't last long. My restless nights were hard. They left me completely useless the next day, especially if they were caused from confusion to begin with, because, I mean, it's not like the answer just magically falls into my head.

And just when I thought my night couldn't get any better, or weirder, something collided into my window. It wasn't a loud crash, or even a banging noise. Not loud enough to be a bird or anything like that. The tiny, quiet sound was more like a pebble being thrown against it, or an acorn. Something like that.

Was a squirrel seriously throwing a damn acorn at my window? Really?

If this was a squirrel, I had to see. If not, I had to know what it was. And this sound alerted me, to the point I sprung up out of bed, put on a camisole, and rushed over to the window.

Sometimes, depending on my mood, I sleep in shorts and a sports bra. Others I sleep in shorts and a camisole. And then others, I sleep in a t-shirt and underwear, or actually pants and a button-up pajama shirt.

Just depended on my mood.

Tonight, I was sleeping in a bra and shorts, so, to see what it was—in case it was some_one_—I had to put on the camisole.

If it was just a squirrel, I was gonna kick myself. After I finished spazzing about a squirrel throwing an acorn at my window. But, to be completely honest, I doubted it was a squirrel . . . because, hello? They don't have opposable thumbs to throw acorns with.

Silly _Open Season _maker people_._

When I glanced out the window, I didn't see anything hiding in the darkness below, so I started to assume I was wrong. Just going crazy.

But, you know what they say about assuming . . . .

Something snapped outside, a twig it seemed, and my heart thumped forcefully in my chest before it suddenly stopped moving all together—or it felt like it wasn't moving anyways. It wasn't a normal sound. Honestly, it sounded like something, or someone, was out there.

_Oh shit._

A tall, dark figure stepped out from behind the tree outside of my window, and I jumped up in surprise, letting out a quiet hiss as I regained my composure to make out the features of the figure. If it was a robber . . . they're just stupid to try and break into the chief of police's house. Really?

But, as my heart rate calmed down and grew normal and my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I began to make out a face that I thoroughly recognized.

"Damn it, Jake!" I hissed quietly, gritting my teeth together. "Don't do that to me!"

He looked innocent as he sheepishly grinned up at me. "I'm sorry, Mayze, but I really need to talk to you. Can I come up?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Jake. I just need all of this explained to me to get me out of my confused, current state of mind, but you can't come up."

"When are you _not _confused?"

I scowled at him. "Don't push it, boy. Hurry up. I need sleep, and so do you."

With another grin, he turned and started effortlessly climbing up the tree, and then he sprang from the tree to my window, in one natural motion. It was as if what he was doing was no big deal, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Jake, that tree was, like, four feet away from the window, and you acted like it was nothing," I said simply, eyebrows raised. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He chuckled lightly, but I could tell the humorous mood had changed. "Some would give you a pretty long list."

I rolled my eyes. "I have my own pretty long list, thank you very much." Then, I gave him a cold, hard look and crossed my arms. "A list that's gonna grow if you don't stop distracting me and just tell me!"

He held his hands up in defense, still laughing though, but that smile faded into a deep, serious look of regret, fear, and slight anger. "Okay, Mayze. You're right. I'm just gonna come right out and say it." He took a deep breath. "Obviously, I'm a werewolf."

I snorted. "Obviously."

He rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored my comment. "I'm not like storybook werewolves, or even Hollywood werewolves. I'm pretty sure those exist, but I don't know what they're called—and I'm not one hundred percent sure they do. But, the point is, I'm a werewolf."

I waited, hoping there was more, but after a good bit of awkward silence, I realized that he wasn't going on. So, of course, I protested. "That's it? You came all this way to tell me the obvious?"

"I _can't _tell you anything else," he insisted. "Honestly, Mayze, if I could, I would've told you from the very beginning. I just _can't_. Telling you not only risks _your _life, but it risks all of the packs' along with pretty much everyone in Forks' too. That sounds like exaggeration, but that's all those monsters need to set them off."

My eyebrows furrowed, and then, I let out a huff. "Jake, you can't do that to me. You can't confuse me even more and then just _not _tell me! It doesn't work that way."

He grimaced. "Can you keep your voice down, please?"

I nodded, but my tension and glares did not ease in the slightest bit. "Jacob Ephraim Black, I swear—"

"Whoa," he hissed, cutting me off in an instant; also pissing me off even more. "How did you know my middle name?"

I rolled my eyes. "During your shameless flirting with my sister . . . ."

He sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"That obvious," I grinned. "As I was saying, I was bored. I overheard your conversations, though, and I heard. Not the point. You _have _to tell me."

"I _can't _tell you," he insisted, almost pleading with me. "You have to believe me, Mayze, when I say I really would if I could. If it wasn't for the fact that he could read your mind and find out I told you, Sam might let me. But, he commanded me not to, and we have no other choice but to listen to the commands of the Alpha. When I say I can't, I mean it is _literally _impossible." Then, his jaw tightened. "But, it's so obvious. Think about it. Werewolves . . . what is the one thing we can't stand? Think to books, or movies, if you must."

"I don't read or watch scary things," I said firmly, frowning. "I get terrified easily."

He snorted. "Wow; yet, you held firm today and managed to save my ass. I have to thank you for that, though. That was really awesome of you."

I shrugged, as if it was no big deal, and sighed. "Jake, look, I don't know, okay? The only things I know about werewolves are the things I catch in quick glimpses of commercials about those kinds of movies, or things I hear about the books people have read—hardly anything at all."

"Have someone tell you at school tomorrow what the number one werewolf enemy is," he suggested with a grunt. "I'm sorry, Mayze, that I can't help, but I've gotta go. Sam told me to hurry."

I rolled my eyes but nodded. "Okay. Fine. You realize I'm useless until I figure it out, right?"

He grinned at me. "That's your problem." And then, with a quick turn and a leap out of the window, he was on the ground outside and running off—rather quickly, I might add.

There was no way I could wait until tomorrow, no way at all.

So, I decided to turn my computer back on and use the handy dandy Internet. It was gonna be my best friend after tonight.

Renée had chipped in to get us both really nice computers, along with get us the Jeep, so we had really nice iMacs—the biggest they had, along with their keyboards and a magic mouse.

It was _nice_.

The point is, it was super fast, so I was up and running in about a minute. Since it was so quiet in my room, I decided to start my playlist on iTunes.

The first song that came on was _Fiction _by **Avenged Sevenfold**. This was another one of those things that made me tear up every time. Rev sang most of it, but he . . . he died before he could finish, so Matt had to take over.

It's so sad.

But, I didn't dwell on that long, and I actually did my best to tune it out. The last thing I needed right now was a distraction that would lead to me possibly crying, or at least tearing up.

I just couldn't skip it, though.

I pulled up the Internet, and for my search, I was very blunt and typed in, "enemies of the werewolf."

This could be a fairly common question.

From the way it showed up as I started typing it in, I realized that it actually was at least somewhat common.

The first site that showed up was someone's question, so, from reading the summary, I read that witches were an enemy of werewolves.

Odd. Edward was a witch?

That didn't seem right, but I decided to try it anyways. I typed in witch, and I got definitions and things referring to them as women.

But, it never said anything about them being different.

Like, Edward talks different—not quite a normal, American accent, but not quite a British accent either. It's almost like he's from a different time. His skin is ice cold, and he's very moody. I mean, he's strong, obviously, and he's just . . . so intriguing and sexy.

So, I decided to type in enemies of werewolves again and go on. That led me somewhere, so maybe I would get my answers.

I didn't have to click on any links. All I did was look at the second link's title, and I got my answer—such a fitting answer, really.

Before I even typed it in, I knew that was what he was. Vampires and werewolves—duh. It made sense, and it fit.

He hated me, all of the sudden, because I was a human, and he's a vampire. But, if he's a vampire, why does he torture himself by suffering through high school? Is this his first time, or is he just repeating it? It doesn't make sense.

I guess, despite what people think about vampires, he must have a heart and soul to be able to care enough to hate me.

That sounds weird, but it makes sense. Think about it. By hating me, he wouldn't be around me, and that means he wouldn't kill me.

I didn't believe that, though. No; I didn't think he would kill me. As a matter of fact, I _knew _he wouldn't—he couldn't. There was something about us, something in the bond we already shared, that would prevent that.

It was all so clear to me now. He thought of himself as a monster, and he was just protecting me.

But, I wasn't standing for it. If I wanted protection, I would ask for it. I didn't ask for it, so therefore, I was gonna confront him about this and tell him how I felt about it.

Yeah . . . I'm gonna tell an extremely sexy vampire what to do—right.

I wasn't scared of him, or any of his family, really. What terrified me was the thought of telling him. He had a reason to keep his secret, a reason that involved Jake not being able to tell me this said secret.

So, when someone finds out about this secret, someone who's not supposed to know, that could mean two things—more, but two obvious possibilities.

One, he was gonna kill me, which I knew wouldn't happen. Jake said it would put me in danger, but I knew that wouldn't happen—not from Edward anyways.

Two, he was gonna leave, get as far away from me as he possibly could.

_That _terrified me more than anything else I had experienced so far. The idea was haunting, but I didn't get _why_. And it bugged me! I always hated it when girls made their lives revolve around a guy, acted like they couldn't live without him, and here I was . . . freaking out over losing Edward. Just the possibility. This was my first day, today, yet I was getting goose bumps and shivering at the idea of living in a world where Edward wasn't.

This could get bad . . . .


	9. 08: Secrets

**09. Decode: Paramore**

* * *

When I got to school the next morning and I saw his perfect face, hard and cold as he looked up at me, everything changed—everything. I suddenly was _afraid_ to tell him, in new ways than last night.

I noticed school buses here, after I took that obvious fact in. I started to wonder why, but then, I remembered.

Oh yeah. Field trip today.

And I spent so long deciding on what to wear too.

Damn.

See, I had put on a black camisole, then a hot pink one, and then a blue one. Along with that, I had on a pair of dark skinny jeans and my silver titanium brass knuckles necklace. Just in case I got cold or it decided to rain, I had my tight black zip-up hoodie with Avenged Sevenfold written on the back in white. It had thumb holes at the end of the sleeves too. My makeup had been done, basically, the same way, but instead of blue glitter, I used hot pink, and instead of electric blue eye shadow, it was the same color blue as my camisole—royal blue.

One of the best parts about my outfit, in my opinion, was the black combat boots I chose to complete the ensemble.

Oh well. I guess I would just look awesome for no reason.

Bella looked over at me with a cold, icy stare the instant I turned the Jeep off. It was the first time she had even acknowledged my existence, so it was an improvement.

"Thanks, by the way."

"For what?" I asked slowly, frowning deeply at her before she simply jumped out. I could hear the sarcasm dripping in her voice, so I knew she wasn't being serious about anything. So, it worried me.

She grit her teeth in frustration, but she didn't bother waiting on me. She was mad, but . . . why? I had asked her what was wrong all morning, but that always seemed to piss her off even more.

Right when I got out, shut my door, and locked the Jeep, she decided to stop and turned towards me. I thought she was just gonna glare at me harshly and then keep going. But, she answered, "For stabbing me in the back!"

Despite the fact that me and walking don't even get along, I chased after her quickly, stumbling over my feet a few times along the way. "Bells, what are you talking about? I didn't stab you in the back!"

"What about you and your beloved boyfriend?" she asked callously as she turned to face me again, causing me to abruptly stop so we didn't collide. "Your beloved Jacob?"

I blinked in surprise and literally shuddered in disgust before shaking my head. "No! Bells, no! You've got it all wrong! That was . . . Jake wasn't talking to me about me and him. He likes _you_. He even told me!"

"Uh huh," she said disbelievingly, eyeing me suspiciously before giving me an eye roll. "So, you two didn't go into the woods for a long time, you come back all freaked out and melted to talk about you and him? _Right_. I'm not stupid!"

I grit my teeth in frustration. "No! We didn't! I . . ." my eyes closed. "Bells, I wouldn't do that to you! I can't believe you think I would." She could hear just how much this hurt me, but she was too pissed to care at the moment. "Bella, you're my sister. I know you like him, and he likes you. We were talking about something else."

"What?" she asked darkly before crossing her arms over her chest. "If you can tell me, I'll believe you."

My face twisted again, and I grimaced away from her for a minute. Then, I cleared it and just stood up tall. "But . . . I can't."

"Alright, guys!" Mr. Banner called loudly, catching our attention briefly while we listened to what he was saying. "Give me your slips and load the buses! Let's go, let's go!"

She slowly shook her head in disbelief, her teeth grinding together in frustration. "And here I thought you cared." She pulled her permission slip out of her backpack, and she gave me a pained, aggravated look; as if had just betrayed her. "Don't talk to me or get on my bus. I'm serious, Mayze."

"Bells," I said gently as she walked off, trying to get her attention and stop her. But she didn't turn. She just handed Mr. Banner her permission slip and got on the first bus.

"Everything okay?" Mike asked curiously, approaching me uncertainly. It almost seemed like he was nervous about something.

My eyes moved down to my shoes, but I nodded; a convincing enough lie. "Yeah. Great." Until I used words.

"Look," he said timidly, his hand moving up to scratch his neck anxiously it seemed; yeah, he was nervous about something for sure. "I know we just met and everything, and it's still a long way away, but . . . well, I'll just ask. Do you want to go to prom?"

My eyes widened slightly in horror, mostly at the idea of going with him. He was nice, sure, but definitely my type—the farthest from it, even. "Mike, I know you claimed me and everything, but, honestly, I wasn't planning on going to prom at all. Me and dancing and heels, especially, don't mix."

"We don't have to dance," he input helpfully, using anything he could to try and convince me. "And, you can wear flats. It'll be a lot of fun."

I shook my head, feeling guilty about it as I did so. I _hated _saying no to people, but it was necessary, because going with Mike would've led to a miserable night for me. "Sorry, Mike. I'm not really a party person. But, why don't you ask Jessica? She really likes you, and I think you two would have a good time together."

He looked over at her, and after a few seconds of looking at her and watching her wave flirtingly over at him, he sighed. "You're right. I'll ask her." With that, he walked off, shoulders slightly slumped, and over to the first bus, where she was talking to Bella. Eric and Tyler walked up and started talking to them too, followed by Angela and Ben.

That meant I was completely alone.

I just handed Mr. Banner my slip and turned towards the bus opposite of where Bella was standing, not really caring at the moment that it was true.

"Hey," I heard a way too beautiful, familiar voice say behind me, making me jump a little in surprise.

I spun around to face Edward, the mind-reading vampire. I suddenly remembered he _can_ read minds, so I started thinking about anything but what I knew or him. "Wow. I'm a human being now, not some sick psychopath worthy to receive only the darkest of death glares. Nice change. Seriously, though? What is up with you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously before flashing me a soft smile. "I'm just saying hello."

I sighed deeply and shook my head, not liking the way things were playing out today. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I had the nerves to go through another one of his mood swinging cycles. "But, just earlier, you were glaring at me like you wanted to kill me. And, what was up in Biology and gym? Are you really from a foreign country or something?"

He chuckled softly, sincerely humorously, and continued smiling at me, a little brighter than before. "Not exactly." Then, all the humor was gone as he looked down to his feet, and he even sighed a little. "Mayze, we really shouldn't be friends."

I stepped up on the first step of the bus as my teeth ground together in frustration. "Oh, right. Yeah. I've heard that line before. The classic, _'I'm not good enough for you,'_ or, _'You need better.'_ I've heard all the excuses, so just quit lying and tell me you hate me. It just hurts worse to hear the lies."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You think I hate you?"

"I know you do," I said gently, shrugging innocently. "And I know why. I just . . . don't understand it."

"You don't know anything," he said darkly as he stepped up on the stair beside me, voice slightly scary, but only enough so to make my heart flutter and pound in my chest at the same time, leaving me in slight pain. He intentionally stood up on the stair so I would have to look up at him. "It's not you I hate, Mayze."

"It's a part of me," I whispered sincerely with a nod, glancing down as I said it but then back up to his flawless face—flawless everything. "A part of me I can't live without."

His eyes were carefully studying me, and recognition—all the recognition I needed—flashed across his eyes. He looked doubtful at the same time, like maybe he didn't think I meant it quite the way he took it. "That's absurd."

"But the facts," I said simply, smirking at him a little before stepping up and sitting in the first empty seat seven rows back.

Edward walked on the bus too and sat beside me, not bothering to ask if it was okay. He probably read it from my mind that I wanted him too.

"What are you . . . what do you mean?"

I turned to face him. "Moving to Forks wasn't a mistake, no matter how you look at it. Moving to Forks has opened my eyes to things I never would've known existed."

He gave me that confused glance, something I had gotten a few times already this morning from him, again. "What does that mean?"

I smiled softly up at him, gnawing on my lip a little to dim the smile down so it didn't freak him out. Vampires weren't exactly a happy subject to talk about, but for reason, knowing made me happy, knowing things about him that no one else—to my knowledge—at this school knows about made me feel good.

"I . . . I can't say."

"Why not?" he demanded stubbornly, sounding more like a teenager than I had ever heard from him. Honestly, the way he said it reminded me of a little kid, almost, being told he couldn't have a cookie until after dinner.

I almost laughed a little, but instead sighed. "Let's say you knew a secret that not only put your life, but the lives of others—the ones you care about—in danger too. The only way to keep them safe is to pretend to be completely and totally oblivious."

His eyes studied me as he thought over what I said, evaluating my face carefully—my eyes and expression. He knew that I knew, to the point he would most likely bet on it, but there wasn't enough evidence to make him one hundred and ten percent sure. I mean, what I said could mean just about anything.

"And besides," I went on before softly smiling up at him to change the subject and lighten the mood. "I thought you didn't want to be my friend."

"Never said that," he whispered honestly, his eyes becoming strangely pained as he did so. "I just meant that it would be best if we weren't."

"What does _that_ mean?"

He laughed half-heartedly as he looked down at me. "I don't answer your questions until you answer mine. What do you know?"

I pursed my lips in a tight line. "I'm better at resisting secrets than you realize. I'm not telling you anything."

He glared playfully down at me, but then suddenly smirked. "Oh well. Your loss."


	10. 09: Cares

**thank you for all the reviews. :) it really means a lot. i'm gonna post two chapters, since i got three reviews. i'm very glad you guys like this story. i had almost given up hope on it, but even though there's only a few people still reading this, i'd rather make you few people happy than make myself miserable about not having hundreds of readers.**

**so, to the few reading, thank you so much for reviewing! :D i'm very glad you like it, and i will continue trying to make it something you enjoy. :) as the story goes along, _I _start to enjoy it more. i hope you do too.**

**thanks a lot! :)**

**one quick note to add, i decided to change one thing about _Twilight . . . _besides the main part about Bella having a twin who, in my opinion, is much more right for Edward. my point is, i have changed it to where when a werewolf imprints on someone-only when they imprint-then that imprint lives forever with them. unless, of course, they decide together to finish growing old, in which case the werewolf will give up its power and they'll grow old together.**

**but, otherwise, they live forever together.**

* * *

**10. Fallin' for You: Colbie Calliat**

* * *

It took me a while to get the courage to come out and say it, tell him what I knew. The death glares pretty much stopped, which was a huge relief, along with the mood swings, leaving just him and me; something I loved. In Biology, though, he was giving me the evil looks, the ones that made me scared of him, especially since I knew the reasoning behind them. In P.E., he wasn't scary or even mean. We talked all the time.

Maybe it was me and Bella together that made it hard for him to resist.

Who knows?

A month after our first day, I realized it was time. It was time to tell him I knew, because, I mean, what's the point in hiding it? All hiding it was doing was making me sorta not really all there at home, and it was keeping him from answering my questions that I knew the answer to but still wanted to hear.

Bella and I weren't okay, though. I could tell something was happening between us. I wasn't sure what, because we had settled the Jake thing. But, something between us made me uneasy; scared even.

I don't know.

I sighed deeply before tying the last string on my combat boots. I heard Bella honking from the Jeep, so I grabbed my backpack and looked in the mirror one last time.

Black ruffled miniskirt with red and white plaid, red v-cut t-shirt with sleeves that came to the crease on my elbow, a lacy white camisole underneath, and my fishnet leggings underneath that, reaching just the top of my combat boots. To make it all the more perfect, I had my long hair put in a side ponytail loosely—rather cutely, if I do say so myself—with a solid black fedora on top.

_You can do this,_ I told myself firmly, unable to stop from smiling at the amazing outfit—so me. _Where's the Mayze in you? She's in there somewhere. Now just tell him_.

I wasn't being myself. I mean, I wasn't being Mayze in any way in the matter. It was like I was another person when it came to this issue. Once the Mayze inside of me was brought out, I realized how I really felt now.

I, for some reason, was happy here, with this mess I got myself into. Even though once I got to school, I was going to confront a vampire who can read my mind, I was happy. The thought just didn't bother me.

There was one thing that did though, something I realized on day one. I met him a month ago, but I'm scared to tell him what I know for just one reason—not the obvious one either. If I do tell him, what happens if he leaves?

_That's_ what bothered me, and ever since I realized how deeply that idea scared me, it just irked me. Jake told me to stay away from him, but I didn't care. He wasn't in charge of my life. There was something—my heart, maybe—pulling me towards Edward. I knew what it was, but I didn't like listening to it. I mean, we talked a lot, and we got close. I knew everything about him, more than he knew I did.

Over the past month, ever since the Jake thing, I've had to become a damn good actress. I had to _act_ around Edward and pretend I didn't know, and I had to _act _around Charlie and _act_ like everything's normal. Whenever Jake was around, which is a lot now since he and Bella are officially dating, I had to _act_ like I avoid Edward.

I don't feel too special now. Jake told Bella, with Sam—their Alpha's—permission. So, now, she knows she's dating a werewolf.

I also found out, Jake imprinted on her, which means, Bella's never dying. So, I'm gonna die one day while she lives forever and ever and ever.

Stupid werewolf.

Random thought. Sometimes, I wonder, can Edward really read my mind? I mean, he always says stuff like, _"I'm trying to figure you out"_, or, _"You're very difficult for me to read, unlike most people."_

So, I mean, I kinda wonder. A mind reader wouldn't say those things if he could just read my mind, and at this point, he would know a lot of my deepest secrets, because I can't help but think about them around him. And, a lot of times, he's thoughtfully staring at me, like he's trying to figure out what I'm thinking or trying to figure me out in general.

I don't know, but I would ask him later.

When Bella pulled the Jeep into the school parking lot, I immediately noticed one thing, right off the bat.

The metallic silver 2011 Volvo XC90—a crossover—was already here.

Bella warily looked at me, truly concerned as she shut it off. "I thought Jake said you were staying away from them, like he warned. He can't say why you need to, but he said it's dangerous."

"It's not," I semi-lied, semi said truthfully. With the partial truth, she would never notice the lie; not that she would notice it anymore anyways. It was amazing how one boy made me change so drastically, yet not really much at all. "He's just being paranoid, honestly."

"How do you know if he can't tell you?"

I shrugged as I picked up my backpack, acting like it was no big deal. Effortlessly, I put it over my shoulder and opened the door. "I figured it out by myself."

Her eyes were dubious as she watched me walk inside alone, leaving her to ponder all of this. I knew Edward would be in English, since he wasn't by his car, so I wanted to get in there and tell him.

Of course, I was right about where he was. I mean, it wasn't much longer until the bell would ring, so it made sense to be in here . . . along with just about everyone else in this class; our nearly full class.

I sat down in my desk, and he brightly smiled my favorite smile of his—it's a heart racing, gorgeous, world-brightening, beautiful, perfect, crooked smile—before turning himself around to face me. "Hey, Mayze."

I smiled back at him, unable to do anything else, and took a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you that I've needed to tell you since the day I met you. I just haven't had the courage to do it until now."

His eyebrows furrowed, but I could see the hidden gleaming look in his eyes, almost as if he was hopeful—as if he knew what I wanted to tell him. "Oh? And what is that?"

I could see his siblings sit up in their chair, rigid and nervous. They weren't turning, but they were suddenly curious, maybe even suspicious. "I'll tell you later. Now isn't the best time."

"No one's listening to us except those two," he pointed out, frowning. "Why not now?"

"Fine," I said lightly as I put my backpack in the floor, giving him a shrug. "You're not human."

His eyes slightly widened in terror, and I saw his siblings completely freeze too—all three of them finding this statement a complete shock. But, he quickly regained his composure, for the most part, and gave me a dumbstruck look. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

That was exactly the response I needed to guarantee this. If he _was_ human, he would've given me a strange look to begin with—nothing like what he just did. He looked _stunned_ now, hidden behind that dumbstruck look. "I _mean_, you're not human, and I know exactly what you are."

His lips pursed in a firm line, eyes tight. "And, how exactly do you know that?"

"Well," I admitted softly before looking down at my thumbs, which were twiddling around each other to ease my nerves. Of course, I was gnawing on my lip again, but my cute little robot was rather relaxing too. "I kinda talked to someone."

His eyes were suddenly blazing, furious even, as if he already knew who it was I talked to. "They _told you_? How would they know?"

I shook my head. "No, he didn't tell me. I figured it out. He told me to stay away from you. I, obviously, didn't listen, and now, Bella's gonna be a tattletale and tell him, but oh well. He's not my dad. Anyways, he accidentally told me what he is, you're both enemies, and you can read minds."

He was just frozen in his chair, eyes slightly pained, angry, and happy; his expression, though, showed that he was in denial. "If he didn't directly tell you, how do you know? And, who is it telling you all of this?" He suddenly relaxed, and his face got smug. "I am personally offended."

I rolled my eyes and smirked at him. "You can go get 'offended' all you want, but I'm right, and I'm one hundred and ten positive of that. Edward, I'm basically a human lie detector. I can see past all the masks, the lies, and all the truths. You're hiding who you really are, for everyone's safety. You think you're dangerous."

His jaw locked tight as he realized that I was right, and there was nothing he could do to fix that. "I _am_."

I shook my head. "No. You aren't. You haven't hurt me."

He turned away from me abruptly, glaring harshly at the front wall; his teeth grinding together and his jaw locking tight. "_Yet_. I've come close, Mayze, so, so many times. You just can't even imagine . . . ."

"_Close_," I emphasized firmly, crossing my arms stubbornly over my chest. "You haven't done it yet, and I seriously don't think you ever will."

His teeth ground together for a few seconds, but then, his tense, stiff body relaxed a little as he forced himself to look back over at me. "Alright then; what am I?"

The rest of the people in this class walked in the door at that moment, basically all at once, so I just shrugged. "Can't say, but I can say it's one word."

"There are a lot of those," he pointed out arrogantly before laughing a nervous laugh, something I could tell was slightly faked. "I just think you're crazy."

Now he was teasing me. There was something in him, as I could see, that _wanted_ me to know and _wanted _me to be right, but there was something else that was afraid of that. The part that wanted it was bigger, because it was his heart, although he'd never admit this out-loud. I could just read it in his eyes.

"Yeah," I scoffed, smirking at him now. "But, that's not the point. Are there a lot of words that are seven letters?"

"Quite a few," he said truthfully before nodding slightly. "Anything else you want to narrow it down to even though there's still going to be a huge margin of possibilities?"

"Your enemy is something with eight letters," I said honestly before shrugging again, as if it was no big deal. But, in reality, it was the exact opposite—one of the biggest things I had ever experienced. My favorite friend here in Forks was a vampire; that's pretty fucking huge.

It clicked in his mind now. He knew, without a doubt, that I knew. A tiny little small piece of him still doubted me, but not anymore. Now, his heart was taking over as he smiled my favorite smile over at me. "You're so wrong."

"And you're so a horrible liar," I said firmly, sticking my tongue out at him before turning towards the front. "Or, to me, at least."

He just slowly shook his head, the smile still lingering on and accenting his features. Those teeth of his should terrify me, especially knowing what I do, but they were just a tool in which he gave me that damned smile that leaves me not only breathless, or even intoxicated, but it makes my heart race in my chest.

The teeth didn't scare me. Only his evil, dark looks did.

I just let my heart flutter, my breathing become shallow, my blood to boil, and the butterflies fill my stomach this time. It was okay, now that I can see he's not mad, to let loose. It was okay to finally let myself feel this way.

It was right, no matter what he said.

The feelings I just wouldn't admit out-loud.

This time, though, as we walked together to the lunchroom, he didn't leave me to go sit with his family. He, instead, looked down at me with that smile I claim as mine—as of now. "Do you want to sit with me today?"

My heart fluttered even faster—an unhealthy, completely unnatural rate—as I looked up at him. I couldn't help but smile at his irresistible one, but this request left me unable to do anything but smile even brighter. "Sure. That'd be cool."

"Are you going to eat?" he asked curiously, grinning at me now.

I bit my lip again, trying to decide on just how to say this. "No. It's a phobia I have. I don't eat in front of people."

He gave me a skeptical look, almost as if he was worried about my mental state right now. I didn't blame him for that, because I questioned it myself. "So, you're _not_ scared of me, but you're afraid of . . . eating in front of people?"

I nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I'm strange. I don't mind eating in front of family or people close to me, like at home, but when I don't know someone, I won't. And, it's not because I'm afraid they'll judge me, because, personally, I could care less. I just don't like doing it. It freaks me out."

He let out a scoff/laugh before smiling at me again. "You know, I like you. You're just so . . . different. You don't care what people think, and you love being yourself—that strange creature that you are. It doesn't matter to you that I'm a monster and I've killed people before. You don't care."

I shook my head. "I didn't care when Jake phased in front of me, and I don't care that you're a vampire. Your past doesn't matter. You could've killed a million people. I don't care. It's not who you are now."

"So, you know me now," he said simply before letting out a very deep sigh. It sounded, as weird as this is, confused; like he wasn't sure to be depressed, mad, or happy.

"Have the whole time," I admitted sheepishly, propping up on the table to make myself more comfortable. "I'm kinda scared though."

"You are?" he asked quickly before cocking an eyebrow, liking and hating this statement just like everything seemed to be today.

A smile spread across my lips, and he earned himself another eye roll. "Not of you. I'm scared about . . . Bella's gonna tell Jake, and he's gonna get _really_ mad. I mean, he's coming over tomorrow to keep us both company while Charlie goes fishing with Billy and Harry, and . . ." I sighed. "I'm gonna die. I think he's bringing some doggies with him."

He laughed softly. "Well, how about you come over to my house while he's there?"

"Charlie would _never_ let me leave her alone with Jake and his friends," I said honestly with another sigh. "I would say _you_ could come over _there_, but I don't think that'd be a very good idea. You _can_, by all means, if you want to."

His face went thoughtful again; not a surprising look for him. "Well, honestly, I'm scared to leave you alone. I don't want you to die." He took a deep breath, as if he was calming himself down. "They can't do anything to me. I mean, I'm not breaking the treaty." He shrugged it off as no big deal again, even though it was.

We both had tendencies to do that.

I brightly smiled at him—beamed at him would be more accurate. "Well, then, does that mean you're coming?"

He laughed softly again before nodding. "Yes. I will, if it's alright with your dad, of course."

I pursed my lips. "Charlie won't care. He's letting Bella bring someone over."

"Alright then," he agreed. "Just let me know if he says otherwise."

"I will," I promised. Then, I grinned. "But, he better not, because you have to tell me about this treaty."

"Okay," he said blissfully. "I will, Mayzie. I promise."


	11. 10: Furious

**sorry to inform you that this chapter has a decently mean cliff hanger. :) i'll post more later. i have all of part I of the Divided four part series done. i'm still working on part II, but i don't wanna throw all of part I on you and then get behind on part II. so, i'm giving this to you chapter by chapter. or maybe two chapters at a time. either way, here you go.**

**please keep reviewing. i get excited each time i get a new review, so if you don't mind, can you continue with that? :) thanks.**

* * *

**11. Lose Control: House of Heroes**

* * *

***Edward***

It didn't matter to me what they were thinking at me while I was with Mayze, because I simply didn't care; she was my focus. The combined smell of her and her sister wasn't even that bad today, which was great—a good and bad sign for the future.

If it wasn't that bad, I wouldn't hurt them. At the same time, I would use that as an incentive to be around her. That was the most dangerous thing I could do to her.

But, for some reason, I couldn't find it in myself to stop.

"So, I'll text you and let you know," she said brightly as we walked out of gym together, putting a sad end to our continuously long conversation—the one that started in gym and just now ended.

I gave her a soft smile, almost smirking at her. "How do you plan to do that?"

"With my phone," she said simply, pulling out a Droid 3 with a neon blue hard case and holding it up. "Duh. I mean, are you—?"

"I mean," I interrupted humorously before laughing and taking her phone from her. "You don't have my number." Then, I sighed as I looked back down at the phone. "I forgot. These don't work for me unless Carlisle and I have fixed them up to respond to our icy touch."

She took it back from me with a beautiful smile outlining her already beautiful features, getting me to the point where I found myself mesmerized by her beauty. Really, it was her presence in general.

Thankfully, she didn't even seem to notice. While I was amazing over her, she typed something into her phone and slid it up to reveal a keyboard. "There. Now, type your number in."

"Yes ma'am," I teased, just to aggravate her, before doing what she said. It was pretty cute when she was mad; I'm not going to lie. Before I could type my number in, I saw it said Edward with a smiley face on one side of my name and one of those text hearts on the other side. I brightly smiled, unable to do anything else, as I typed it in. "Smiley face and a heart?"

Once I slid it shut, she took it from me and stuck it in her back pocket, her cheeks haunted by the faintest shade of pink. "Yeah. So?"

"Why a heart?"

Instead of answering me, she simply turned to look at her sister and then briefly back at me, giving me a smile as if to say, "Remember me, just like this." But, she instead said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh," I said bluntly, giving her a playful glare as she started walking off. "You're avoiding the question now."

She just laughed her beautiful, perfect laugh as she happily ran over to hers and Bella's Jeep. Today, it was her turn to drive home, so she hopped in the driver's seat. A smirk was all I needed to confirm this, and that's just what she gave me.

You perfect little angel. Why must you torture me like this?

Emmett walked out of the school and walked up behind me, remaining quiet for a minute, but I remained focused on Mayze, which seemed to amuse him. "If I were you, I would run home. Rose is _beyond _pissed."

I just couldn't wipe the smile off my face, though, as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed out. "Oh well."

He gave me a doubtful look, a look I had known as his look he gave me while questioning my sanity, as I walked away from him and over to the Volvo. _You have officially lost it. Edward, what is up with you?_

I just let out a sigh of content before getting in the driver's seat. The first one in, as usual, was Alice, but this time, she didn't study me carefully, or really any at all. Instead, she was just smiling brilliantly, her face turned to the front, and her thoughts on me.

_I told you so._

I couldn't help but grin a little. At the same time, it pained me to hear that she was right. Before, I thought I would be a malicious, egocentric monster if I let Alice be right—and I had.

Like I had originally feared, Rose's eyes were blazing, her thoughts colder than ice. Colder than any of us. Still, though, now that I was hearing her thoughts, I couldn't help but smile again as I pulled out of the parking lot.

_You're . . . smiling_? Jasper mentally asked, giving me a completely bamboozled look.

"Yep," I said cheerfully as the smile just brightened. There was something wrong with me. What? I didn't quite know. Nonetheless, _something _was wrong. "Oh, and, if I don't come back tomorrow, you'll know why. Make your decisions wisely."

"It would be because you're being an _idiot_ by messing with a _werewolves_' imprint's sister, AKA, his _best friend_!" Rose shouted furiously, releasing all of her rage and bitterness towards me in that one, vehement sentence.

I just forced myself to ignore her while I continued happily driving down the road, oblivious to just about everything but the road as I did so. The same bright smile was on my lips, because, honestly, I couldn't advert my thoughts, or attention, away from Mayze.

It was useless to try, so I didn't even bother anymore.

When we got home, everything changed. In an instant, the joy was replaced by fear, the purest form. I was suddenly _scared_, terrified even. She had told Carlisle about the situation. I was sure of it. He was already home, so there was no other explanation.

_JACKASS! _Rosalie mentally screamed, probably somewhere in the middle of her rant and screaming, not that I would know due to the fact I simply didn't care. _YOU SELFISH, BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?_

I sighed, my head hanging low in shame. The reality . . . all of my actions . . . it was finally truly sinking in, what I had really done. I had let her find out something dangerous by leading her on, by making her curious to begin with. By talking to her that first time, I had fucked up, big time. She would've forgotten and just put me to the back of her mind, just like everyone else, but because I spoke up and apologized, she didn't.

And now she knew.

Then again, it _was_ the stupid mutt's fault she knew. I had no one to blame but myself for even getting interested in her in the first place, so, it's technically my fault anyways. But, he gave her enough clues to figure it out.

Eventually, though, I probably would've told her.

When we walked inside, I sat my backpack by the door—my usual place for it until I did my homework whenever I got around to feeling like it. Carlisle and Esme were sitting calmly at the dining room table, waiting; which horrified me even more than I had been before.

We were all for props, mostly because Esme just adored renovating and buying furniture. There were things in this house that we had _never _used before. We never used the dining room table unless we were having family conferences, and this meant it was serious. Usually, it was because something bad had happened, and we had to discuss a way to solve the issue. I guess this _is_ considered bad.

Slowly, I sat down at the opposite end of the table from Carlisle, suddenly wanting to be as far away from my father as I could get. I was kind of scared of him, especially now; not of his _physical_ attacks, because he wouldn't hurt a fly, but his disappointed thoughts . . . .

I wanted to be as far away as possible, for some reason, even though it clearly didn't matter where I got. His disapproval would hurt worse, to me, than any physical attack even Emmett could dish out.

Once everyone was in, Carlisle turned to face me, eyes calm and somewhat happy. _Edward, calm down, son. I'm not mad at you, at all. I think it's nice, actually_.

I frowned at him, my eyebrows pulling together as I did so. "You're not supposed to think that."

_Well, what _am _I supposed to think? Do you want me to be angry with you?_

I groaned and laid my head on the table. "Maybe. I don't know! Yes and no."

_No one else is mad at you either, Edward. That's just Rosalie_.

I bit my lip as I sat back up only to quickly realize that I was catching onto Mayze's habits. That _was_ true, though. It was just Rose.

Honestly, I still wasn't sure about that, because it's not like Mayze's gonna _tell_ anyone. So, why did Rose care?

Damn. I just said gonna.

This is getting worse than I originally thought. Soon, this girl would have me wrapped around her finger, more willing to do anything for her than I already was, and she was gon—going to be dangerous, one of the most dangerous creatures on the entire earth.

_You selfish, greedy, ASSHOLE!_ she mentally screamed, adverting my thoughts away from Mayze for the moment.

"Enough with the name calling," I snapped as I turned to face her, making sure to give her an icy stare. "You've used every name in the book now, so you can stop now. I get it. You're pissed at me. Fine. Just stop."

She snarled as her lips curled back over her teeth. Her eyes narrowed to thin slits, and I just rolled my eyes back at her, as a response to her bitchy mood.

"Enough," Carlisle said calmly, stopping our little expression argument instantly.

"You told her!" Rosalie exclaimed, now calmer than she had been before. It was kinda weird, since Jasper didn't even do it. Having Carlisle stop that calmed her down; both of us down.

"No I didn't," I said innocently, holding my hands up in defense. "She figured it out. It's not my fault she's smart. You can't blame _me_ for that."

She glared at me with harsh, blazing eyes. "Fine. You gave her enough clues to where she could!"

"No I didn't," I said honestly, unable to stop. "It wasn't _me_ that gave her the clues. Sure, this _is_ all my fault, but I wasn't the clue-giver person." I frowned, now slightly disturbed that a Mayze habit had become verbal.

"None of us have talked to her," Emmett said slowly, finding confusion in my previous statement, and finding the end amusing. "If you weren't, then who was?"

"Jacob," I said lightly before shrugging, as if it was no big deal, because it wasn't. "But, as I was saying—"

"The stupid _mutt_?" Rose screeched. "Carlisle, he broke the treaty! We have to attack!"

"Rose, calm down," I hissed, giving her a hard look as she suggested such an insane thing. It was the past; way in the past. Why attack when it was something like this, something that could not only kill them but us too? "He didn't break the treaty. When I talked to her and then suddenly hated her, it confused her, so when Jacob accidentally phased around her, she was more confused. He didn't tell her what we are, which is what the treaty states. He never said anything that could've given us away, except for the fact that we're his enemies. That's it. He never told her what we are."

She hissed at me. "Then _whose_ fault is it?"

"Mine," I said again as I laid my head on the table again. "Alright? It's _mine_. If I hadn't talked to her, none of this would've happened, and she would be perfectly normal living a perfectly normal human life, oblivious to the supernatural world, like she used to be."

"Here's a _great_ thought," Rose said furiously, once I raised my head up again. "Shut your damn mouth! Don't talk to her anymore!"

"She still knows!" I exclaimed, almost desperate to have it another way. "How will that help _anything_?"

"Because!" she shouted, hearing the near desperation in my voice and not liking it at all—not one bit. It actually seemed to fuel her fire, but I didn't understand _why_. "You need to stay away from her! You and I both know that's what's best for her, Edward. If you really care about her, you'll stay far, far away."

My teeth ground together in frustration. "Rose, how do you want me to do that? I _can't_!"

"I was starting to like it here!" she yelled. "But you just . . . you just have to ruin that! It was nice to finally be mostly normal! Do you just _enjoy_ ruining my happiness?"

"Rose, this has _nothing_ to do with you!" I said loudly and angrily as Alice crossed her arms over her chest, clearly not liking something that was going on. "Look, fine. I've got an idea that will just solve _everyone's_ problems, and I should've done a long time ago."

"You're gonna kill her?" Rose asked eagerly, eyes brightening at the idea. "Please; let me do it _for you_."


	12. 11: Arrogant

**here you go, readers (and reiviewers :D). i am so very grateful for your reviews. honest. :)**

**to rachLA: well, thank you. :) i'm glad you think my writing is good. :) there is more to come. i promise. i'm glad you reviewers feel special, because you guys ARE what keeps me going. if i didn't have reviewers and encouragement (or constructive criticism) i wouldn't be able to go on like i can with them. so, you guys _do _keep me going. :) and yes. i'm positive i'm not Stephanie Meyer, although i _do _thank you much for the compliment. :) i would've done things a little differently (kind of like this series, actually) if i were her. but thank you. :)**

**to lola99: i'm really glad you love it, honestly. :) thank you so much for reviewing. i love that you can read it over and over and still not tire of it. here is your update! :D**

**to samycutie: i'm glad it makes you laugh. i try to put comedy, good (not cheesy) romance, and killer action in my stories. and moments that move the reader. lol. but yes. that's one thing i try to accomplish, so i'm glad. i will update as often as i can. that is a promise. :) thank you for saying it's amazing. i appreciate that. here's your update now. ;)**

* * *

**12. Unstoppable: Rascal Flatts**

* * *

I couldn't help it then. A harsh growl erupted from my chest as I stood up swiftly, ready to _kill _her, my body slightly shaking in complete rage. "Absolutely not! What in the hell will _that_ solve?"

"Your idea won't solve anything either!" Alice protested firmly from the back wall where she was standing with Jasper, both of them behind me. "Edward Anthony Masen-Cullen, you are _not_ going _anywhere_!"

"Leaving will just get her talking," Emmett pointed out, shrugging. "If you leave, she's got no reason to keep quiet. She'll talk. She'll have no reason not to."

I shook my head, my eyes moving down. "She won't. I know her."

"You can't read her mind," Rose barked, her own snarl edging to come out. "How would _you_ know?"

My glares turned icy as I forced myself to calmly sit down. "I know her, Rose. I don't have to read minds to know someone pretty damn well, like I do Mayze. Do you know Emmett? Have you read his mind? No! You don't have to be able to read someone's mind to know them."

"I still think we should kill her," Rose insisted as she turned to Carlisle, eyes almost insistent as she did so. "She knows too much! If we don't, the Volturi will, and it will be much worse! They'll torture her and make it agonizingly slow and painful."

"Not if they don't find out," Esme pointed out.

"They will," Rose whispered. "And, even so, we can't take that risk, now can we? Carlisle, we have to!"

"Carlisle, she can't do this!" I exclaimed, my voice pleading and literally begging now as I looked at him, pleaded with him. "She shouldn't have to suffer because of _my_ mistake! She didn't do anything! The Volturi won't find out! How would they? They never stop by for visits!"

"Rose," Carlisle said gently as he looked up at her, finding a great deal of surprise with my pleas but trying to ignore them for the moment. "Edward's right. They _won't _come. Killing the girl is wrong and it won't solve anything. There are other ways to go about this."

"No one will know," she assured him, hoping that was his concern with the matter. "I'll keep it clean."

Fists clenched tight, teeth barred, jaw locked, body shaking; I was _furious_, ready to pounce and rip my sister to pieces over this. Burn her? Probably not, but I was beyond pissed. She was talking about hurting _Mayze_. For some reason, that made me _extremely _mad, more so than anything else _anyone _had ever done.

"You're. Wrong," I sneered darkly, somehow finding it in myself to hold back and _not _hurt her. "The wolves _will _know! You think they won't notice when she's dead and she smells just like one of us? They'll kill us, Rose; or try to anyways!"

That was something she hadn't thought about; no one had.

"We don't want to be like the others," Carlisle added on firmly, shaking his head again. "Rose, this isn't like what happened before. I let that slide because those men tried to kill you, and you needed to get revenge. But this is different. The girl is innocent. She has done absolutely nothing wrong."

While Rose was being defeated and probably had her guard down, I searched her mind for anything that could clue me in on _why_ she hated Mayze, why she was so desperate to get her out of the picture.

Suddenly, I heard it, all of it. There was more than one reason, which honestly surprised me. I knew the obvious fact that she was a human bothered her, but I wasn't sure _why _it bothered her as badly as it did. That slightly bothered Jasper too, but he wasn't acting like she was.

My mouth fell wide open in surprise, my eyes growing wide too, and as a laugh began to erupt, I couldn't stop it, wasn't really sure I wanted to. I actually fell back in my chair but was quickly up within a hundredth of a second. I was still laughing though as I looked at Rose, laughing harder than I had in the longest time.

Her eyes shot over to me. "What is so _funny_?"

I continued laughing, but not as amused as before. It was probably strange, to hear me laugh in the midst of them talking about whether or not to kill her, but what I just heard was _hilarious_!

"What?" she demanded through barred teeth, slamming her fist down on the table in rage. It caused the china Esme always had set up there to clink together and the table to crack.

"Smooth," I said sarcastically as I stopped laughing, now giving her a dubious look. Then, after looking at her fury, her rage, and her confusion, I couldn't help but softly chuckle again as I thought about it.

She snarled. "What?"

"Somebody's jealous," I said brightly in a sing-song voice before laughing all over again, just like the first time. This was just too great. Rosalie was _jealous_ of this girl, for two reasons!

Besides the obvious fact that she is the most beautiful creature any of us had ever seen, she was _jealous_ because I found an interest in this girl, this _human_, and I had never found even the smallest interest in her.

"Shut up!" she shrieked, now just as ready to attack me as I had been earlier. "You asshole! Gosh, I hate you! Why do you have to do that?"

"Why do you have to want to kill her?" I snapped back, silencing her almost instantly. But, then, I found myself laughing again. "Ha."

Her eyes were suddenly blazing, ready for action; something Emmett wasn't helping by cheering her on, hoping to see her attack me.

I didn't get the point. She would lose, no questions asked.

"Edward," Carlisle said firmly, giving me a slight frown. "Be nice."

I bit my lip so I would stop laughing, but the humor was obvious in my eyes as we both stared at each other. Her eyes were icy and hard, furious; and mine were warm and humored, quite amused.

Two complete opposites.

Rosalie is _jealous_ of Mayze. She couldn't deny how Mayze is _so much_ more beautiful, inside _and_ out! Ha!

"What did he say?" Emmett asked curiously, now dismayed by the fact that Rose and I weren't going to physically fight.

"Nothing," I said brightly with a smirk before turning back to Rosalie, giving her a devious grin. "Don't worry, Rose; no one but you heard me."

"You better be glad," she said coldly, crossing her arms over her chest to restrain herself. "Otherwise, you would be _so_ dead." Those words sunk in, and she threw her hands up. "Then again, that right there solves _everything_!"

"You're right," I agreed with a nod. "It does. So, Rose, kill me, by all means."

She glared at me for a good five seconds, long and hard, before turning to Carlisle, away from my smug, cocky expression; something that irked her more than just about anything right now.

Except Mayze, of course.

As much as we didn't show it, we all loved each other. Some loved others in different ways, but we were family. That was a fact. We all cared about each other, including Rose and I.

It was just then, at that current moment, we were both extremely pissed at each other.

"I agree with Rosalie," Jasper admitted gently, speaking up for the first time this entire conversation; shocking all of us completely, even me, the mind reader.

My mouth fell wide open, and, at first, I thought he meant about killing me. Then, I read his mind and found the real thing he agreed with. "So, you think because I screwed up, we need to kill an innocent human?"

"You can't guarantee she won't say anything," he pointed out quietly, not liking the way I worded that. It had been on purpose to lure him away from that idea, as far away from it as I could get him.

"Jasper," Alice said softly, adverting everyone's attention to her with that one whispered word. "Please don't do this." She lightly placed her hand on his arm to hook him in, captivate him and keep his attention on her for as long as she needed it. "I'll be very upset if you do, and Rose will regret it too, because she'll loose her best friend in the whole wide world."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rose said quickly. "What? Why on Earth would I _ever _be friends with _her_?"

Alice giggled. "Calm down, silly. I told you this a month ago, but you didn't listen to me. Don't let it be such a surprise, okay?"

"As for why, because she's an awesome person," I said quietly and distantly as I stared thoughtfully at Alice, my eyebrows furrowing in thought and concentration.

She was looking up at Jasper again, who was staring dubiously down at her; just as confused as everyone else. She then looked at me, and I saw everything. Everything she had been hiding these past couple of months, and everything she had been thinking now, was hiding in her eyes, behind the colors and random animals.

My eyes widened in horror, and then, my teeth snapped together in fury. So many emotions, so many things that did nothing but confuse Jasper. Still, though, I had to reply, and I could only do so through barred teeth. "That doesn't have to happen, Alice."

"But it will," she said warmly, giving me a smile to match her tone. "I know it. You want it to, Edward, and don't even tell me you don't. Don't bother lying to me."

It took a lot for me to swallow, an unnecessary action that I actually felt like was necessary at the moment. Of course, I had to lie, for my own good—for Mayze's own good. "I . . . no I don't."

"Liar," she said smugly, smirking triumphantly at me. "I know that's a lie, because I can still see it. If you truly didn't want it to happen, you would change it right now, but you _aren't_."

"Can someone _please_ tell me what's going on here?" Emmett demanded, quite irritated us for having one of our many "mental" conversations.

I looked at Alice again, not entirely convinced. _That_ was all she had been hiding all this time? She was hiding the fact that one day Mayze would, for some reason, be one of us, possibly not even _because _of us?

But then, she thought about _everything_ else she had been hiding, the things that mattered most. She had been hiding it for a month, since the lockdown day with the pink pandas.

I jumped up from my chair, causing it to land against the hard, marble floor again with a crash. "No! No, no, no, _NO!_"

"Yes!" she squealed, finding strange joy in my refusal. "Edward, it's already happening, and you know it. You won't admit it, even in your head, but you know it, deep down. Ah, the beauties of teenage . . . well, never mind."

"What the heck is going on?" Emmett demanded again, this time more assertively.

"Edward's in love," Esme breathed as she studied my face, reading me like an open book. Right now, my expression was hard and stubborn as I heard what Alice was thinking, over and over again—loud and clear. I was _not_ in love.

I groaned loudly before closing my eyes.

"Of course, he _would_ fall in love with a human," Rose snapped icily, which caused me to open my eyes and look at her in confusion. "That's just like Edward. He's known to do some really stupid things."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, because this was all on purpose."

"You just admitted it!" Alice exclaimed eagerly, squealing louder than she had yet, in all of our existence together. "Ha! Ha, ha, _ha_!"

"No I didn't!" I protested. "I just said it's . . . damn it! Alice! You are so irritating! You're the smallest person I know, but you are so . . . ugh! I just said it wasn't on purpose!"

Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper were just gawking at me, with their mouths wide open too. Alice was squealing and happy dancing now, completely ignoring my irritating speech I was giving her; Esme was beaming at me with that blissful gleam in her eyes; and Rosalie was glaring, quite bitterly, I might add. It wasn't the usual daggers she gave. It was _worse_. Much, much worse.

I smirked at her, showing her that didn't bother me at all, but I kept my mouth shut. I was going to be a gentleman, despite everything that _she's_ done to me, everything she's threatened to do to her.

"This does complicate things," Carlisle said slowly before blinking, still not anywhere near over the shock. I could tell he was stunned to hear this—anyone could. "But, no matter what, none of you will hurt the girl. It's obvious that Edward . . . loves her, so, we can't really hurt her now. It's the only way for him to be happy, so we'll just have to trust his judgment here."

"He can't read her mind," Rosalie reminded him. "How can he know she won't tell?"

"Because, I know her," I said simply. "That's all I need. Must we go over this _again_?"

She rolled her eyes and slowly shook her head, mostly just pouting because she hadn't gotten her way. You probably don't need me to say it, but I'm going to anyways. It was a very livid expression darkening her face.

Ha. She was just mad that _I _won, and she lost, and that _I _love Mayze and not her. She was mad because I was never interested in _her_, but yet, here I was, falling for a human.

I couldn't deny it now. There was no point in it. Even _Alice_ noticed, so how could I? It was an undeniable thing I had gotten myself into.

"You seriously fell for a human?" Emmett snorted as he looked at me, dumbfounded. Then, he laughed. "Kid, I knew you were losing it."

"Have you _seen_ her?" Alice asked disbelievingly before giggling. "If you did, you'd see why he did. Well, why he first even had a small interest." Her eyebrows furrowed as she wondered to herself exactly _why_ I love her.

I rolled my eyes. "What can I say?" My face was smug as I sat the chair back up right and sat back down, leaning against it arrogantly; for an added measure, I smirked up at Rose. "She's one hell of a human."


	13. 12: Altercation

**rachLA, lemme just say. you are AWESOME. i posted that chapter, went and got my dad from work (20 minute drive, maybe?), and i come home to find another review! already! then, you posted another. which i have to say, thank you so very much! that made my day, honestly. i'm gonna update chapters the rest of the night just because of that. thank you so much! that means a lot. it really does. :)**

**now, for you, rachLA and other readers, please continue to review, even though i'm gonna have lots and lots of chapters up tonight. i might even get to part II. (i have to go through what i've already got and check for errors, make changes and such-like i did with this one, lots of changes). so, here it is. i'll put more asap tonight! :D**

* * *

**13. Instincts: Ivoryline**

* * *

***Mayze***

Of course, Charlie didn't care. His reaction was kinda shocking, actually. He was more willing for Edward to come over than he had been for Jacob. He probably assumed it was the same with me and Edward as it was for Jake and Bells, so I didn't understand why Edward was more okay to be here than Jake. Maybe because nothing had started yet?

I don't know.

_Be here at ten o'clock, sharp._

I let out a deep sigh of content and played my music from across the way. _Sick _by **Adelitas Way **was the first song to come on, so I was able to lay back across my bed and relax.

While staring up at the boring white ceiling above me, I began thinking. Some would say, "Oh no, Mayze. You don't need to do that." Don't you dare, though. I'm perfectly capable of thinking.

I began thinking about Edward, about everything we've gone through in the past month. Even without him knowing that I know, I've known, and it's sort of made things more intense, more meaningful. Thinking about every moment made me realize that he struggles so much to be around me, to keep me alive, and all I do is get the good side of being around him—the joy it brings and the intense feelings he gives me.

He gets both.

You know, thinking leads to epiphanies, and those lead to either good or bad things. This epiphany was a good one, for sure, because in thinking about these deep feelings and the true incredibleness of what Edward went through to be here with me—just like tomorrow, for example, with Jake—brought this epiphany on.

I honestly didn't know if I could live without him. It was a scary thought, and a part of me still feared him leaving me, but I didn't think it would be possible. In just a month, I've gone against my entire lifestyle and become the girl who fell so hard for a boy that she made him the most important part of her world.

I was so in love with Edward that nothing could change it—nothing he said or did. I would love him forever, even after I died.

. . . if I died. He was immortal, right? Maybe he would change me. Later discussions, of course, but it was something to ponder.

It _would _make things easier on him.

At any rate, I was ready to spend an eternity by his side, loving him deeper than anyone could imagine. I knew my mind wasn't able to truly comprehend just how much I loved him. I possibly never would fully understand. I just knew now that I did, and with each day, I had a feeling my love would only grow.

Bring it on.

* * *

Sure enough, at ten o'clock on the dot, the time they were both told to arrive, Edward was there with his Volvo sitting by the curb instead of in the driveway.

I was eagerly waiting on the porch, still in my pajamas. I would've changed, but I had all sorts of things to do to straighten up the house, and I woke up late—eight am, can you believe it?—so I didn't get a chance to change.

At least my pajamas were cute, right? The cotton shorts I had on were bright electric blue with black polka dots. They came about seven inches above my knee, and they were rather loose, which is always nice and comfy. To go with this, I had on a black camisole, and I simply left my hair in its natural wavy state.

I even had Pookie in my arms.

He smiled softly when he walked up with me, studying my appearance with great observance, trying to take in every little detail it seemed. "Nice, Mayzie. Love the bear. You know, you really pull that off."

I beamed up at him, loving the sound of that more than I probably should. "I do? I didn't have time to change. I can do that quickly, if you just wait a second."

He shook his head before letting out a sigh of content. "No need, and besides, at least one wolf is down the street. Honestly, though, Mayze, I think you could pull off mud from head to toe."

My cheeks turned a light shade of pink, but I swallowed the embarrassment and decided I should start getting used to it. From the way things seemed, I would just have to get used to compliments—not that that's a bad thing. "You're in luck, by the way. Jake is coming alone. He _wanted_ some alone time with Bella, but now . . . ." I grimaced. "I'm scared."

"Does he know?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. Bella just found out this morning, and she's too busy getting ready—not that she minds. The Volvo's gonna give you away, though."

"Nah," Edward disagreed, making a face at me. "It'll be the smell. He's never seen my car, or really me even. I've never seen him, and he's never seen me."

"Then, why on Earth do you two hate each other?" I demanded, giving him a scowl as I did so. This didn't make sense to me. Two people who have never even _met _shouldn't hate each other like this! But, they did? "It's not required by law for you two to hate each other, you know. You could be buddies!"

He shook his head, eyes slightly pissed at the idea of them being friends. "Sorry, Mayze, but that's not how it works. Werewolves and vampires just can't get along. They've never been able to."

I sighed as my shoulders fell, truly disappointed by this. If Jake and Edward didn't get along, that was gonna make things _hard _for Bella and me—probably be the cause behind us dividing, what I was worried about. "Well, I tried." When I saw how my dimming mood affected him, I smiled brightly up at him again. "Alright, so, come on in. Meet Bella for real."

He took a deep breath and nodded, throat tightening as he stared inside with a deep burning in his eyes. "Alright. This will be so much easier when the mutt gets here."

I hugged his arm tightly for a second. "Thank you for coming, seriously. I'm putting you through a lot, I know." I quickly kissed his cheek before I could think about it and change my mind. "Thank you, Edward."

For a second, as I opened the front door, he was just frozen there with his fingers careful as they moved up to softly rub the spot on his cheek where I had kissed him. Honestly, to me, it looked like he might have had a little color in that moment, as if he was flushed. That was probably just my imagination though, because vampires don't have blood.

Do they?

"Bella!" I called eagerly as Edward finally came to his senses. It was probably _too _eagerly, but I was excited that _I _had this kind of effect on _him_.

He gave me a sheepish smile and stepped through the doorway behind me. "Whoops."

I grabbed his hand without even thinking about it; like everything else, I was just gonna act on a whim today. Suddenly, though, there was that electric current running through my arm and to my core, throughout my entire body. Although it was a much higher current, raging hotter than ever before; it was a very good feeling, more so than it had been our first encounter or any other time he had made me feel it. He then intertwined our fingers, and for a second, I just softly smiled up at him, finding myself unable to do anything else. He gave me that same, crooked smile that I've learned to absolutely adore.

My smile that I've claimed.

It was a little weird to think about, and it was a little unnerving. In Phoenix, I didn't come across anyone who so much as got a second glance from me—except my friends, of course. Now, I was inviting someone over who got more than a second glance. He got my heart and everything I had in me.

You think I'm kidding? That boy takes my breath away all the time.

And he's a vampire on top of that, a vampire who wants my blood more than anyone else's he's ever encountered. According to him, it _should _be the other way around, since he's around me all the time, but when he's around just Bella, it isn't as bad as just me. Then, around both of us, it's absolutely horrible.

But he also mentioned something about _not _hurting me, due to his fear that he would lose my scent? I don't really remember exactly what he said, but I felt quite sure that was it.

Anyways, it didn't really matter. Hard to resist me or not, he wasn't gonna kill me. That much I knew quite well.

As well as the love revelation I had last night—or this morning . . . or, whenever that was . . . . you get my point.

"I'm in here!" she called from the kitchen. "What do you want?"

I looked up at Edward. "It's alright. She doesn't bite." He laughed at the accidental pun put in there, but I made a face, something he didn't understand. "But, if she hates you, don't get mad, okay? She's listening to Jake over me for some reason. She thinks I'm in the rebellious stage she skipped, so I'm rebelling against everyone and going for the dangerous one."

He cocked an eyebrow at me with a devious grin playing on the corner of his lips. This seemed to slightly please him, to be completely honest. "Oh? She does?"

I nodded and then sighed. "Yeah, she does. But, I'm really _not_. That's probably what Jake's gonna think too, but that's not it at all."

To my immense pleasure, neither one of us separated our hands as we walked into the kitchen, where Bella was finishing up with breakfast. She had _tons_ of eggs, link sausages, bacon, waffles, pancakes, and French toast as well as lots and lots of Mountain Dew.

I laughed blissfully. "Geezums, Bells. Are you cooking for the army?"

She grinned at me. "Nah. I mean, have you _seen_ Jake eat? Most of this, he'll eat. Then, you'll be next."

I smiled guiltily up at Edward. "I eat a lot."

"Is that why you don't eat in front of people?" he asked curiously. "Or is that just because you're afraid of it?"

I pursed my lips, pondering this new idea. "Maybe. I don't really know _why_ I'm afraid, but I am."

Bella laughed and set the plate of pancakes on the table. "Yeah. She's . . . weird. I still haven't figured out why she's like that." Then, she held her hand out towards him with a warm, welcoming smile on her lips—surprising me completely. "So, I'm Bella."

He smiled back at her a polite smile, much different from my smile. "Edward." He took her hand without hesitation.

As their hands made contact, she gasped in surprise. She still shook his hand, but once he let go, she reflexively pulled it back.

"I told you he was cold," I reminded her, smirking. "Which is what _I_ like. You, on the other hand, prefer Jake 'cause he's hot." I frowned. "Temperature wise."

Edward froze beside me. Even after the handshake with Bella, he hadn't let go of my hand. I felt his grip only slightly tighten on my hand, but it was enough to sting a little. It was an easy action to decode—he was tense now, no longer relaxed. Of course, that meant Jake was here, and he was nervous about something. Maybe Jake had just smelled him . . . .

Bella was still shocked by how cold he was, but when there was a knock on the door, that shock wore off, and a bright smile spread across her lips as she walked swiftly over to the door.

Jake's eyes were blazing. "Mayze!"

I smiled sheepishly at him, my shoulders raising a little to look more innocent, before waving at him. "Hey, Jake."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Jacob, just calm down. It's not like that."

Jake growled vehemently at him. "You shut up. No one asked you to talk or use your weird vampire powers and read my fucking mind!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Bella said swiftly, eyes widening in surprise as she stuttered, trying to find the right words. "What?"

"Great job," Edward said sarcastically, tone hard and cold. "You moron! You just broke the treaty. Congratulations."

Jake completely froze, horror struck, as his face started going pale—for him anyways. It was as if everything inside of him just shut off, and when he looked over at Edward, he looked scared—terrified even. "Um . . . oh shit . . . ."

Edward rolled his eyes again, obviously irritated by the way he was acting now. "Jacob, I have every right to do that, but I'm not gonna do that. It's pointless. She was going to find out soon anyways, being your imprint and all, and things would get unnecessarily ugly for nothing."

Bella turned to face me, flabbergasted and beyond pissed. "Mayze!"

"What?" I asked blankly before scoffing, giving her my signature eye roll to go along with it. "You're dating a werewolf, which is dangerous too. It's not like he's gonna kill me."

"He might!" Jake exclaimed furiously, no longer terrified; due to the fact that Edward said he wasn't gonna hurt him. "Elizabeth Malia Swan, what did—?"

"Hey!" I interrupted icily, shoving him back a little—or trying to anyways—with my free hand. "Don't call me that! Just because you know my full name doesn't mean you can use it!"

He rolled his eyes but snapped a reply at me. "So, it's okay for you to use mine, but I can't use yours?"

I took a deep, relaxing breath. "Jake, this instance is d—"

"Did you just purposely do this just to be a rebel?" he asked irately, cutting me off. "I mean, you went and did exactly what I said _not_ to. And now you see why."

I squeezed Edward's hand for comfort before letting out a frustrated breath. "Jacob, I figured it out a month ago, alright? I knew what he was after you left, alright? This has nothing to do with being rebellious. I love Edward! It's not because I want to go against you, Jake, because I could care less! It's because I really do! Since day one, there's been something pulling me towards him, and I can't explain it. I know I sound stupid and mental, but it's true . . . ."

Edward was frozen beside me. For a second, I wondered why. Then, as what I said replayed over and over in my head, I realized _why_.

"Oops," I whispered, eyes moving down to my feet. I let out a soft groan. "Damn it, Jake! Look what you did!"

"I didn't do anything!" he protested tightly. "You're the one who went out and fell for a stupid leech!"

"Watch it, mutt," Edward snapped icily. "I wouldn't be talking. You know you're just as dangerous. What happens if you lose your temper around Bella?"

Jacob completely froze. "I'm . . . I'm almost over that."

"But you're not," Edward said simply before shrugging. "Therefore, you have absolutely no room to talk. You're dangerous, I'm dangerous, and they're both not using their brains right now."

I frowned up at him. "I never do. You know that."

He sighed. "Mayze . . . ."

I shook my head firmly. "Don't even start with me, Edward. I mean it."

He sighed again, hesitating a little though, before looking over at me with an almost obedient expression. "Alright."

Wow. He listened?

I wasn't too crazy about that expression, though, because . . . obedient? He needs a spine and his own free will . . . .

Jacob was still fuming, and Bella was anything but happy with me; but, I mean, where did _she_ have room to talk?

I just smiled at Edward, which didn't help their anger; it did Edward's though. "Come on. We'll leave them alone."

With that, I pulled him up to my room and shut the door behind myself, not at all minding that I was now alone in a room, behind a closed door, with a vampire.

An extremely sexy, amazing, perfect vampire; a vampire I was madly in love with.

Jake and Bella could just fuck it.

He was watching me carefully, studying me again thoroughly, but suddenly, his icy fingers ran down my cheek, leaving a burning sensation lingering where his fingers grazed. "Mayzie, did you . . . did you really mean it?"

I grimaced for a moment, unsure of how to answer, but I decided to be firm and be myself, be Mayze again. So, I said, "Yeah, I did. I mean, there's no point in denying it. I love you, Edward."

At that moment, he gave me the brightest version of my smile that I had ever seen. "Well, Mayzie, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I love you too, more than you'll ever know."

"I disagree strongly with that," I interjected, and with a slight smirk, I lightly punched his arm. "None of this 'obedient' stuff, okay? I don't wanna take your willpower from you. You have a mind too, alright?"

He seemed surprised, but I could tell he liked this a lot. Instead of saying anything, he simply pulled me into a gentle hug and just held me.

I could definitely get used to this.


	14. 13: Bet

**next chapter. :) i got another review for chapter 11 from Cetacea-of-Time while i was in the middle of posting 12, so that's always awesome. welcome, reviewer. :) i hope you enjoy the story.**

**now, here is chapter 13! i kinda like this chapter. :)**

* * *

**14. Forever: Papa Roach**

* * *

***Edward***

Despite the fact that I almost got in a fight with Jacob, that was one of the best days of my life.

It _shouldn't _have been; it _should've _made me leave this place and go far away, like I had originally planned to do, but it didn't. Instead, it seemed to seal me down here even more permanently.

And now, I was going mad, doing something _completely _insane.

I was daydreaming about her in the dirtiest ways, something I had _never _done before, not in all of my life! No female attracted me, not that I really paid attention to anyways, until Mayze came along.

So here I was, daydreaming away . . . .

* * *

Mayze was standing in my doorway, biting her lip in the sexy way she does sometimes, without even realizing how sexy it is. She was in short, tight blue jean shorts and a tight camisole, outlining her chest _perfectly_. I had to admit. Her ass looked really hot in those shorts too.

The muscular yet slender frame she had, which I found _extremely_ attractive, was completely obvious. Tight clothes were definitely something this girl—angel, really—could pull off.

And now, she wanted _me_. She wanted to tempt _me_.

She walked over to me, still biting her lip seductively, and started unbuttoning the shirt I had on. "I'm so hot."

"Yes you are," I practically drooled, like a complete idiot. Even in my daydream, I felt like a corny prick.

She giggled before sliding the shirt off and crawling onto my bed, her ass up in the air as she did this and as I crawled backwards against the headboard. "I meant, Edward, that it's hot in here."

"Y-Yeah," I stuttered, blinking a couple of times as she settled with her body hovering above me, her shirt hanging down to show just the right amount of cleavage to make me want to rip it off her fragile body. "It-It is."

She laughed tauntingly, making me literally shiver in desire. "Don't be nervous, baby. It's just me."

I nodded. For a moment, I was at a loss for words, but of course, I found them quickly. "Right. Just . . . you."

Instantly, her lips met mine in a passionate, heated kiss that very quickly turned into making out and essentially French kissing, very quickly. Before I knew it, she was straddling me, sitting in my lap basically, and I was pressed up against the headboard.

She sucked on my tongue a little, making me moan quietly as she continued. Her lips moved to kiss down my jawbone and then down my neck, something I couldn't help but close my eyes and just take in lustfully.

Then, to my surprise, she sucked on my neck too, hard. It made me jump a little in not only surprise but also pleasure and a strange twinge of _pain_. Although it kind of hurt, it felt really good.

She was capable of hurting me?

"I need you to help me get these clothes off," she breathed provokingly as she pulled back and looked at me, giving me a sexy, erotic, evoking smile. "It's _super_ hot, and I'm so horny right now."

Instantly, without any hesitation, I started pulling her shirt up, not bothering to move slowly or even at a brisk human speed. Of course, that left her in a skimpy, lacy,_ extremely _sexy bra, but that didn't stay—

* * *

"Stop, stop, stop!" I exclaimed, cutting myself off from the fantasy by hitting myself in the head repeatedly and continually blinking.

Rose looked pissed as she turned from Carlisle. "I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle this situation you and your mistake got us in, the best way for _everyone_!"

I rolled my eyes. "She's not a mistake, Rose, no matter what you say. But, I wasn't talking to you."

Emmett grinned at me. "Were my thoughts bothering you?"

I stared at him for a minute, confused, but then I realized just what he had been thinking. Usually, it was about him and Rose in bed, thinking about his favorite part of their most recent night. But, not this time.

No. This time, he was thinking about _Mayze_ and what _she _would be like, just to torment me and get a normal male response out of me.

I growled. "No, Em, not until _now_. What the hell?"

_It's working._

"I don't need your help for that, thank you very much," I snapped harshly with a dark glare shot in his direction.

He gaped at me with his eyes absolutely _shining_, surprising me. "Oh my gosh! Edward, you were just fantasizing about her, weren't you?"

My eyes widened in surprise. How had he realized that with such a blunt, vague sentence? After a brief moment of surprise, I quickly pretended to be confused by the idea and furrowed my eyebrows at him. "Um, no . . . ."

"You are such a liar!" Alice exclaimed, gaping at me. "Gosh! I'm used to _Emmett _being a sexist pig, but you too? Can you not think of anything else?"

"Alice, I can't help it," I insisted, scowling at her now. "Trust me. I would if I could. But, there's something about Mayze . . . ." I groaned. "This is _bad_, and really dangerous, but I just . . . I can't help it anymore."

Emmett was still grinning at me though, clearly pleased at my progress I was making in "becoming a man." In his words, the first step was the fantasy.

_You're fantasizing about her!_

Of course I fantasize about the angel, _my_ angel. I mean, she's perfect. Her body . . . .

What? I'm a guy. No, that's not all I want in a girl, but that is _definitely _a plus she's got.

"You just admitted that it's a mistake!" Rose exclaimed. "Edward, if you _really _love this girl and want what's best for her, you'll stay away from her! We're _dangerous_, and I really don't want to have to put up with you after something happens to her. You've been depressed and annoying enough these past few decades, but after she dies?" She snorted. "It'll be sad."

In reality, we all knew why this was bothering her so badly, or at least the reason she was trying to get me away from her now. When Mayze died, I _was _going downhill. I _was _gonna be depressed.

I _was _following after her . . . but no one knew that part just yet, and they wouldn't, not until it had already happened.

"Rose, I _can't,_" I whispered, shaking my head. "I'm working on it, but it's just not possible yet. I don't have the will power built up yet. One day, I will leave, and I know I should go ahead and get it over with before either of us get too emotionally attached—more so than we already are—but I just can't right now."

"Edward, Rosalie may be right," Carlisle said gently, choosing his words carefully and saying them with certain precision, like he didn't want to hurt me or anger me in any way. "If your intentions aren't to stay with this girl, or to change her, this danger you're inflicting on her—on all of us—is something that isn't necessary."

And he was right; he always was.

"Carlisle," Alice protested softly, but I shook my head, stopping her from going on.

"Alice, he's right . . . ."

"So don't leave," Alice said simply, shrugging. "There's an easy fix to this solution."

Rose snorted. "Right. Great. Let's put her in constant danger instead."

Alice frowned at her, obviously not liking how against this Rose was. "In case you haven't noticed, she's pretty danger prone as it is." She giggled. "Much more so than Bella, which is saying a _lot_. But, the point is, he's already decided on _her_. Without her, Edward is going to live eternity alone, miserable."

_No I'm not._

Esme was staring deeply into my eyes, something I picked up on in that moment when I heard her suck in a gasp of air. My plans seemed to unfold right before her eyes, and she didn't like them, which was to be expected from my mother-like figure.

"No," she cried, her voice becoming choked with pain. "Edward, don't you dare! You can't do this to me—to any of us."

And then, Alice saw it, and she looked over at me with a truly heartbroken expression. "Edward . . . ."

_You can't kill yourself . . . ._

Carlisle understood then, and he shook his head. "Edward, _no_. I will not let you do that to yourself."

"I haven't decided anything yet," I said firmly, giving Alice a firm and hard glare to silence her while I spoke. "But, as for whether or not I'm leaving, unless this gets more dangerous than it already is, I'm not leaving. For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm doing something right, like I'm finally where I'm supposed to be." I grit my teeth together and looked up at Carlisle. "This girl . . . she means so much to me . . . I can't think about losing her right now, or taking away her soul by making her one of us. The point is, being with her, while it may be dangerous and selfish, is right. That's just all there is to it."

Carlisle was stunned beyond words; they all were. Never before had I done something like that, _ever_. I had never expressed such strong emotions towards someone verbally, and I had never backed it up so firmly. Before, I seemed weak, always saying things like that doubtfully and with hesitation, like maybe I wasn't sure. But, I was sure, and it was obvious when I talked.

I just _couldn't _leave Mayze right now.

"Carlisle," Esme said gently, which caught everyone by surprise. She had been so calm about all of this before, so silent, but not today. This was twice today she had spoken up. "He's playing again. You said so yourself the other day. Edward deserves his chance at happiness just like the rest of us. Shouldn't he get a chance to get it?"

Carlisle pursed his lips, now thinking what she said through in his head. Of course, in the end, Esme would win. She always had a way of changing Carlisle's mind. We'll tease him of being whipped quite often. Then again, aren't they all? I mean, they'll all do whatever their wide tells them to, and they'll do anything for them.

Just like I was already willing to do for Mayze.

"But, at what cost?" Rosalie asked softly, finally speaking up again. Her voice was gentler, softer, as she talked to Esme. No one could be mad at Esme, or even say things that might sound even a little irritated towards Esme. It was just too hard to do with her being as sweet and caring as she is. "What if something happens and she ends up bleeding? How would we control ourselves, all of us? None of us are ready for that. She smells too good to all of us. How would we save her?"

"I have a simple solution to all of this," Jasper input, eyes sort of bright and smug as he looked at me. Of course, he knew, without a doubt, that this was going to set me off again, and he knew I was going to freak out, but he decided to say it anyways. "If we change her into one of us, there won't be any need for that."

"No!" I exclaimed furiously. Unlike last time, I was aware I stood up. My chair didn't slam back this time, since I slid it out. "That is _not_ going to happen!"

"And you also said you were _never _going to fall in love with her," he reminded me, his tone teasingly bored to provoke me even more—it worked too. "Face it, Edward. You're going to fall harder than any of us have ever fallen for anyone, and you're going to be all too willing to give her the world. She wants something, and you're going to give it to her."

"Whoa now," Emmett said teasingly before he burst out laughing. His booming laugh was loud enough to quickly fill a room, and it had a great echo too. "Is Edward finally going to lose it?"

My eyes narrowed as a hiss escaped through my clenched teeth. "No! Emmett, are you _insane_? Do you realize how dangerous that would be? Imagine if Rose was human."

He pursed his lips as his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes were suddenly calculating, no longer humorous. "Well, okay, I see your point. But, that's different. You know how to be controlled. I don't."

"You don't try," I pointed out. "I'm sure if you did, you could control yourself too." Now, I diverted my attention over to Jasper, who was now grinning haughtily at me—clearly finding this all so amusing. Rose, Esme, and Carlisle seemed to be in shock still while Alice just sat there, thinking about that vision she had of Mayze and I laying in my meadow in the middle of the sunniest day, both of us sparkling in the sunlight. It was her proof that she was a vampire.

"That's not going to happen," I said firmly, eyes tight as I looked over at Jasper. "If you're betting on Alice, this will be one time Alice is wrong."

He smirked at me. "Alright. If you're so sure, why don't you put your money where your mouth is? A thousand bucks says you don't keep her human."

I glowered at him for a minute, at least, but abruptly held my hand out towards him. Normally, I didn't gamble. It was usually just Rose, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett. I stayed out of it. Actually, this would be my first time, so everyone was surprised, to the point Jasper just stared wide-eyed at my hand for a few seconds before shaking it.

"Deal," I said tightly. "You're so going to lose."

It would be this way, most definitely. Changing her just wasn't an option, not in my mind anyways. In Rose's mind, it was worse than keeping her human and being with her. But, to _everyone _else in my family, it was the best option, the thing they wanted me so desperately to do.

I was not going to take her soul away from her.

Why?

Because I'm in love with Elizabeth Malia Swan, and that was how it was going to be forever.

Or, at least until she dies, and then, I follow after her.


	15. 14: Text

**devoted and new readers, i am so very sorry. i promised to continue updating all night, and i'm updating when i can, but so much has come up today. it's been madness! but here it is. i can most likely finish getting up to 16, because after 16, it's gonna take a lotta work, and it's a quarter after midnight here. not to mention i have to get up early . . . not complaining. i'm just apologizing for only getting a few up. i'll continue to work diligently through tomorrow, though, and i'll extend the "updating madness" to tomorrow also. i do apologize.**

**but, thank you for continuing to review, and i really hope you enjoy my story. you're gonna start to see a change in not only Edward's appearance but also his personality. good things, i promise, but i'm gonna keep him as in-character as i can. there'll be some OOC, though. it's gonna happen.**

**i hope you still like it, though. and please continue to review. it means a lot, and like i told rachLA, it really does keep me going and writing more. so, please continue reviewing. even if it's constructive criticism, it's a review that's helping me move on.**

**. . . . i said _constructive _criticism, not flames. i mean, my first thing ever written, i was told i should give up writing, because it sucked. i was told that i would never amount to anything in the writing business, and i should run away from that dream full speed.**

**well, they can just suck my non-existent dick.**

**anyways . . . reviews please? enough of my rambling. lol. :)**

* * *

**15. Daydream: Avril Lavigne**

* * *

***Mayze***

Normally, I wake up to Bella coming up to my room somewhere around six and gently waking me up. It's a nice way to get up.

How did I get up this morning, you may ask? Well . . . .

_The Collapse_ by **Adelitas Way**, which is my text message ringtone, started playing loudly—the complete song. When my phone is on high, which is what I last had it on, it's pretty loud.

I bolted up in bed, stunned. Who in their right mind would be texting me at . . . ?

I glanced over at the clock on the wall. Since it was still dark outside, which couldn't be a good sign, it took some major adjustments for my eyes to see it.

Five thirty. Well, that's not too bad, since I normally get up in thirty minutes anyways. It was just thirty minutes less sleep, but whoever it was _better _be worth it.

I yawned before running my fingers through my straightened loose ponytail, trying to get good and awake so I could at least see the name of the sender. Then, after blinking a few times and actually waking myself up with a few slaps to the face, my face that is, I grabbed my phone.

It said one new message from aa. Edward:)3.

Then, if there had been any chance of me being angry before, it was gone now, completely. I couldn't be mad at him, even if I wanted to be.

He was just too irresistible for my own good—or anyone's own good, for that matter.

I clicked on the alert that told me about the message so it would open.

_Hey. I hope I'm not waking you. If I am, I'm sorry. But, I was just texting you to say good morning, I hope you had the best dreams, and I have a surprise for you. In thirty minutes, look out your window. I love you. :)_

I was just too melted to move for a minute. That has to be the best wakeup call I've ever gotten in all of my life . . . .

Even after I could move, my heart was fluttering in my chest. All of my thoughts were jumbled up messes, so jumbled that even if he could read my mind, he would have no clue what I'm thinking. _I_ wasn't even sure.

So, I finally managed to pressed reply.

_Okay, and, I'll take that wakeup call any day. It's a lot better than Bella doing it. :) You're making me very curious, by the way. But, I love you too. :)_

Aw. It just clicked in my mashed up, jumbled up head as I sent this, but he put a smiley face at the end. That's so cute.

Hey. I like text smiley faces, _not_ corny. This is _so_ not corny, along with the cute nicknames. They're not either!

With that, I flung the covers off and jumped up and out of bed. I ran over to my closet, of course tripping a few times along the way, and slid open the doors.

I had to look absolutely perfect for whatever the surprise was. Maybe it was him all wrapped up in a box with a red bow and a card that says: completely yours.

Now _that_ would be a perfect surprise. Normally, I don't like surprises, but, Edward wouldn't give me a bad surprise, would he?

No. He wouldn't.

I decided what to wear almost instantly as I stepped into the closet. I mean, in Phoenix, I never would've even _considered_, much less actually wore, this. But, I knew Renée and Bella wouldn't lie. They say I look absolutely beautiful when I'm trying to be a girl. Even if _I_ don't agree, _Edward_ would—at least I hoped he would.

I quickly changed and fixed my hair.

I was in a rather short dress. It was a strapless black rayon dress that came six inches above my knee. To help the length, I had on bright cyan lace tights. I also had on black and bright cyan high top converse—with ankle socks, of course—and a pair of black on top of a pair of bright cyan fishnet fingerless gloves that stopped at my wrists.

Besides eye makeup, I didn't wear makeup—hardly ever. Today was one of those days too. I didn't change the way I did my makeup much, but I _did _leave off all the glitter and just used the shimmery bright cyan eye shadow mixed with the charcoal. Then, I used my black mascara with silver second layer to make my bottom lashes look prettier.

And, unlike usual, I curled my hair today in those gorgeous curls Bella gets naturally; those long, bouncy ringlets. It was something most people couldn't accomplish with manmade products, but I had found a way.

It's my little secret.

By the time I was ready, it was six. Honestly, it was shocking it took me nearly _thirty minutes _to get done when it usually takes about five, maybe ten—including fixing my hair and makeup.

I guess being a girl takes longer.

Edward was never late for things, so I knew the surprise would be waiting by now. As fast as I could, without having the risk of falling, I rushed over to the window.

Edward was standing there, and before I noticed what he was wearing, I saw something even more surprising. His usually tousled and wild bronze hair was darker but still bronze, and it was styled differently—shorter. When it was cut, it seemed to naturally spike up a little, in a sexy kind of way. Then, I noticed that he was dressed in a black cotton button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the crease of his elbow and the top button unbuttoned; dark, fitting jeans; and black and white high top converse. **(A/N: If you wanna see his haircut, lemme know, and I'll put a picture of it up on my profile. Or the link anyways.)**

I was definitely rubbing off on him, and I _loved _that.

If _that's_ the surprise—him, I mean—then that's officially the best surprise ever.

I squealed softly before picking up my backpack, grabbing my light gray fitting zip-up hoodie with fur on the inside and thumb holes at the ends of the sleeves, my backpack, and my phone. Then, I opened my bedroom door and began to run out.

Bella was standing there, shocked to the point she was frozen. She had just been about to open my door to wake me up, and here I was, up and completely ready to go. She was still in just pajamas, still half asleep.

I hugged her gently, something that surprised her even more than my appearance at the door did. "Bye, Bells! I'll see you at school!" With that, I hurried down the stairs and out the door, leaving her completely and totally stunned, beyond anything I had seen from her in a while.

My appearance and the hug probably didn't help that . . . .

The second he saw me, Edward gave me my breathtaking smile. "Good morning." Then, to my surprise, because I honestly didn't think it was possible, his smile brightened even further, and I could see a strange desire burning in the warm, emerald pools of his eyes. "Mayzie, you look absolutely beautiful—indescribably so. Definitely not what you would call 'usual,' but I love that about you."

I couldn't help but cheerfully smile back at him. "You look pretty incredible yourself."

He opened the passenger door and continued smiling. "Would you like to ride with me today?"

"Yes," I answered lightly before sitting down in the passenger seat while doing my best to remain calm. He shut the door gently and ran over, faster than I could see, to the driver's side and got in. "I like this surprise, by the way."

He gave me a sheepish smile as he started the car. "I'm glad, but, well . . . this is going to sound rude . . . but this was actually because I wanted to see you. Well, more like I _had_ to see you."

My heart fluttered, and I kept the same, vivid smile on my lips as I shrugged. "Well, honestly, that's not rude at all. It's actually, well, sweet."

He just kept smiling that damned smile that ruins me inside as he drove off. Out of the rearview mirror, I saw Bella frantically run outside, fear in her eyes. I was sure Edward had seen it too, because he looked over at me, eyebrows furrowed. "Did you forget something?"

I sighed and shook my head. "No. She must've gotten something from Jake saying not to ever leave me alone with you by the freaked look on her face."

His lips tightly pursed together as he looked towards the road, and for an added measure, his throat tightened—got lethal even. He was focused on something else now, something I didn't understand. "Smart dog."

Instead of smiling, like I had been since I woke up, I frowned at him. "Edward, he's being _stupid_ and _way_ too overprotective, not smart."

Edward's hands stiffened around the steering wheel. "Mayze . . . he isn't being stupid or too overprotective. He's doing what's best for you." His jaw locked, and his face slightly twisted into a look of anger and pain. "And, I really _shouldn't_ be this selfish. I need to just . . . ." he sighed.

"You're not being selfish," I disagreed stubbornly. I put my hand gently on his to get his attention back to me. The way he cringed away from me as we made contact made it easier to ignore the feelings of our actual contact and focus on how he was acting now, how he was reacting. "Edward, you don't need to do anything but stay here with me. Don't go anywhere."

He winced. The way his face looked, it made me feel sad, like maybe that was the wrong thing to say completely. "Mayze, I won't leave, unless necessary. I've promised my family the same thing."

"Which it won't be," I said firmly, already set on this fact. "Edward, you just . . . you can't leave."

He smiled at me now, which was a good sign. It wasn't as dazzling and happy as before, but it was sincere, maybe even teasing. "You're probably right. Leaving would be like _asking_ for your death." Now, he laughed. "I mean, honestly. With all those young werewolves in La Push that you're rather fond of hanging out with . . . ." he laughed again. "Plus the fact that you seem to attract accidents, maybe even danger, and can't seem to walk across a flat, stable surface without tripping seven times. Keeping you alive may become a full-time job for me."

Yeah. Definitely teasing. Yet, at the same time, he was being completely and totally serious.

I smiled up at him now. All of the depressing feelings were gone, meaning there was nothing else to feel but happy right now. Mad wasn't even a question anymore. "Good. If it'll keep you here, I won't bother avoiding being who I am."

"Even though," he said lightly before giving me a completely unbearable grin, "you'd most likely end up killing yourself trying to avoid it."

"Probably," I agreed, unable to stop myself from grinning back at him.

When we got to school after sitting somewhere and playing twenty questions for a long while, I noticed a new car. It was a red 2011 M3 convertible BMW, and it was _amazing_, to put it simply.

"That's Rose's car," Edward explained as he met my gaze, grinning a little. "It normally sits at home, with our huge line of foreign sports cars, but . . ." he chuckled darkly as he opened his door, "I'm breaking all the rules now." With that, he got out completely.

Something caught my eye.

Bella was standing beside the Jeep with her arms stubbornly crossed over her chest, and her eyes were blazing with an irate fire. They were focused solely on Edward as he walked around, obliviously even, and opened my door for me.

Then, once I got out of the car, she wasn't the only one looking at me or glaring at Edward. Angela was brightly smiling at me, but Eric looked sad beside her, along with Mike and Tyler; Mike especially.

Well, Mike and Tyler looked more _mad_ than _sad_ . . . .

I looked up at Edward, who had on a pair of Aviators. The rims were silver, mirror-like, and the lenses were black. They had been on since we headed over here, but I still found them utterly amazing. Even though it wasn't sunny or raining, it was still bright out here.

And let me just say it's sexy.

"They're all staring," I informed him happily. I actually found it quite amusing, not embarrassing. Why were they staring? Because _I_, Elizabeth Malia Swan, was with _Edward_, the sexiest guy to ever walk the face of the earth—especially now.

Maybe that's an exaggeration, but I haven't seen anyone to beat him, so we're going with it.

He gave me my smile as a disbelieving laugh escaped through his lips. "Well, I guess they can just stare."

"You're right," I said simply as I turned to face him, staring up at him with a determined look. Thinking would make me hesitate, and I probably wouldn't do it. So, I didn't think. He stopped suddenly so he wouldn't run into me.

It was hard to see what he was feeling because of his glasses, but by the way his eyebrows furrowed, I took it as he was confused. But, I didn't give him time to ask, or think about it either. Would _he _stop me if he knew what I was doing?

I just pressed my lips tenderly, and quickly, against his before smiling at him, loving the way that made me feel inside—the usual feelings, but more intensified than ever before. "They can stare all they want."

He was completely frozen in shock as I grabbed his hand, unable to stop from laughing at the look on his face. I laced our fingers together and started pulling him along, which meant I had to walk backwards—not a good idea. Suddenly, that dazzling smile spread across his lips, though, and he started walking himself.

"You wanna know what I just realized?" he asked curiously.

We walked past his family, who were giving the two of us funny looks—mostly me, I think. Rosalie was glaring at me, Emmett was grinning while shaking his head, as if to say, "Kids," Alice was squealing, and Jasper looked like he was in pain, sorta, while grinning at us too.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close against him, as if to show that I was his; like they needed more proof. "I think you should come over this weekend. Saturday, maybe."

I looked up at him and smiled. Once we were inside, he took off his sunglasses. Since I can, I stole them from him and put them on the top of my head, not caring if they matched what I was wearing or not. "Oh? Why?"

"Well," he said slowly, biting his lip in the cutest way. "I want to introduce you to them, for real. I want you to see them when they're not pretending, when they're purely themselves, and you haven't met Carlisle and Esme."

"True," I agreed brightly. "But, are you sure they're gonna like me? I mean, what if they don't?"

He laughed as we walked into the English room, still hand-in-hand. Right now, we were the only two in here, so he was free to say whatever he wanted to. We both sat down, and we turned towards each other to talk more easily. "So, you're not scared that you'll be in a house full of seven vampires. You're just scared they won't like you."

I nodded. "Is that so wrong?"

"Yes, actually," he laughed.

I grinned at him. "Remember? I'm weird. I've got strange phobias."

"I'll say," he muttered before giving me the same dazzling smile. "Anyways, we'll probably play baseball, if the weather's right. You should come."

"Charlie said it's supposed to storm this weekend," I informed him.

He chuckled before smiling. "Perfect." Then, his face changed to that thoughtful face he always gets when he's thinking about something, trying to decide on what decision he wants to make.

"What?" I finally demanded, after a little bit of receiving this look in silence. People were walking in here, so that meant class was about to start, and I wanted to know.

"I'm trying to decide," he said casually, biting his lip again. "I wanna take you out Friday night, Mayzie. Would you be interested in going out with me Friday night?"

"And what would we do, might I ask?" I asked brightly, grinning. "Any specific way I should dress? Formal? Casual? Active wear?"

He laughed, obviously catching my hint. "We're going to the movies, Mayze; if you want to, that is."

I couldn't help but smile brightly at him. "Sounds perfect."


	16. 15: Surprises

**16. Jump Then Fall: Taylor Swift**

* * *

I couldn't believe what was happening when Edward took me home and waited there for Charlie. In his words, he wanted to do things properly like a true gentleman, the way he was raised.

And, I absolutely loved that.

When Charlie got there, he was surprised to find Edward here, and I gave him a sheepish smile as he gave us both a curious look. When he started to ask, I said, "Dad, Edward has something he wants to ask you."

Charlie looked wary, but he nodded. "Edward."

"Hello, Chief Swan," Edward said gently, standing up and shaking Charlie's hand with a nice, firm grip—to Charlie anyways, although we know it was nothing to Edward.

Charlie shivered involuntarily. "Want proof you two have just been talking? His hands are freezing."

Edward let out a half-hearted laugh, but I could tell he was actually nervous. "Yes, sir. I just wanted to properly introduce myself to you."

He nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Edward." Then, he smiled at him. "Call me Charlie."

Edward smiled at him and nodded. "Alright, Charlie. Um, I actually wanted to ask your permission for something; well, multiple things. One, may I date your daughter?"

This flabbergasted him, beyond belief, but he smiled at him rather quickly, brighter than I had seen Charlie smile in a long, long time. "Yes, Edward; of course you can. That's very . . . wow. Yes you can."

Edward had more confidence now, because he was sincerely smiling. "Thank you, sir. And, would it be alright for me to take her out Friday night to go see a movie in Port Angeles?"

"Of course," Charlie said eagerly, grinning now as he looked at Edward and then to me. "Hell; if you want, take her Saturday too!"

"Thanks, Dad," I said sarcastically before laughing. "You're just trying to get rid of me, aren't you?"

He grinned. "Catching on, are we?"

And that was how that went . . . splendidly.

Edward told me he would pick me up at six. We would go to Port Angeles and eat, and then, we would watch a movie at eight thirty. Charlie _always _gave Bella and Jacob a curfew, but not us. He just told Edward to make sure he had me home in time for me to get enough sleep for tomorrow.

Yeah; it's pretty fucking amazing.

Edward leaned over and kissed my cheek softly, making my heart flutter in my chest, especially when he flashed my smile at me. "So, I'll see you at six."

I got out with a smile and nodded. "Six, on the dot—as usual."

He just grinned at me as he backed out, and I didn't hesitate to watch him leave. Just in case I ran out of time, I went ahead and went upstairs to get ready—literally. I took a shower, first thing, and then, while my hair dried, I began looking for an outfit. Once it dried, I spent about an hour perfecting it—not in simply straight or curly, though. Half of my hair was up, most of it blonde. Of course, I made sure to give it a little volume without all of the fancy hairsprays and junk like that, mostly because we had none. Then, I curled the ponytail and what was left down in wild, tousled curls.

Even with my lowlights, it looked really awesome. Actually, I think the lowlights made it even more awesome, if you ask me.

When I say it took me hours to decide what I was going to wear today, and tomorrow, I'm not kidding; at all. Mostly, I was focusing on tonight, but when I saw something I might consider for tomorrow, I took it out and put it on my computer desk. It got too high, though, so I moved those to my bed and just tried on what I was thinking for tonight.

Nothing that was me seemed good enough, though. I wanted to wear my fedora so bad, my charcoal with silver glitter plaid one, but nothing worked with it—for tonight—and it would mess up my hair, the hair that took me an entire hour to get just right.

If he hated how I looked, I honestly might cry.

Finally, though, after I glanced at the clock and saw five thirty, I found it. For tonight, it was absolutely perfect.

I just hoped he liked it and didn't mind.

When I got finished redoing my makeup lightly, to the point it just looked natural except the bright red eye shadow and black mascara put on to make my eyes and eyelashes pop, I heard Charlie call from downstairs.

It was now or never.

This had to be right, perfect. It was our first date, for crying out loud!

I was in a bright red silk dress with a black mesh layer over every part, except the bright red silk ribbon that went around the waist and tied in the back. It had spaghetti straps, and it had a poufy skirt that came four or so inches above my knees. To go with it, I had on my black and red ankle converse.

In my hurry, I didn't look for a jacket, so instead of just grabbing one, I simply grabbed my cell phone and left.

Charlie didn't exactly like what I was wearing—usually didn't—but he's learned to live with it, because he knows it's just me. I wear what I want to wear, no matter what. This one, though, wasn't so bad. I always covered everything up, but some things almost made it seem like I was flaunting.

I was _definitely _not flaunting.

It took me a few moments to move after looking Edward. Before, I thought he couldn't get any more perfect than he already was, but he always found a way to surprise me. For our date tonight, he was in a pair of black fitting denim pants; a pair of black and white vans with his pants slightly pushed down to where they stuck out; a white form-fitting t-shirt that showed every curve of every muscle, along with a charcoal jacket which was halfway zipped up at the moment; and a black cadet cap with A7X written in red on the bill.

That surprised me more than anything.

Edward seemed to be at a loss for words as I walked up to him and grabbed his hand. Even when I kissed Charlie goodbye and pulled him outside, he was just staring at me, the entire way to the car.

The car alone caught my attention.

I gasped. "You have a Vanquish?"

Surely enough, sitting there in front of me was the last model ever made, in that sleek black color with metallic rims and what appeared to be a dark interior; was none other than an Aston Martin Vanquish.

Edward chuckled under his breath, finally no longer looking at me. "Yes, Mayze. This is my . . . well, my toy, I guess you could say. The Volvo is our town car. You would be surprised at what you found hidden away in our garage."

"I'm honestly eager to look."

He laughed again before walking over and opening my door. "After you my very beautiful, super sexy Mayzie."

I couldn't help the way I bit my lip to hide my smile, as per usual, and walked over and started to get in. But, instead, I stopped and looked up at him. "You know, if I look stupid, you could just say so. I could easily go change."

His eyebrows furrowed, but nonetheless, when I sat down, he shut the door behind me and briskly walked around to the driver's side. Once in and out of the driveway, he looked over at me, completely discombobulated.

"Mayze, you're beautiful. I wouldn't care if you weren't wearing anything at all!" he exclaimed, but once he said it, he frowned, thinking that statement through. "Okay. I take that back. I _would _care, but that's a discussion for another day."

_Yeah, 'cause I'm sure you don't wanna see that._

I nodded. "So, I don't look stupid?"

"You look sexy, Mayzie, in a way I've never seen from you before," he said simply, shrugging. "You honestly just have no idea."

I smirked at him. "I have some kind of idea. I mean, look at you! You look . . . well, okay, sexy. Like, you were sexy before, but you kinda had a preppy hint to the way you dressed. Now? Not at all. You're just . . . sexy."

He grinned. "You want the honest truth?"

"Of course."

"I'm finally getting to dress myself," he informed me, grinning again. "You see, Alice used to believe that any girl who was worth my time was seeking a nice, preppy looking boy. She thought that by dressing me in a preppy manner, I would find my love faster. But, she was wrong, and I'm glad now." He glanced over at me. "For you, I can truly be myself."

"And I love that," I said brightly, unable to dim the matching smile I gave him. "But, if you ask me, it's too sexy—completely unfair."

He snorted. "You wanna talk too sexy? Try looking in the mirror every once in a while. Then you'll see too sexy."

I didn't want to argue with him, so I just smiled and changed the subject. "By the way, I'm stealing your hat when we get home; just saying."

He laughed. "And why is that? What if I like my hat?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You love me more, though."

"That's true," he agreed. "So, let me guess. You want my class ring too, and a pair of my shorts?"

I laughed. "Shorts? No; I'll let you keep those. A hoodie would be nice though." I grinned at him again. "The class ring? Sure; how many of those do you have, by the way?"

He grinned. "You don't honestly want to know."

"I do too, actually," I disagreed, shrugging. "I'm picturing you as four hundred years old, so it can't be worse than that."

"It theoretically could," he pointed out. "Carlisle is almost that old, and there are some vampires ten times that old."

My eyes widened in horror. "Wow. That's creepy. So, they've been around since, like, the beginning of the Earth?"

"Basically, yeah," he said simply, shrugging. "I'm glad I'm not one of those, but I'm dreading the day that I get that old, if I ever do."

I grimaced at the way this conversation turned, so instead of dwelling in it, I turned up the radio a little, only to find it at the beginning of _The Fight _by **Avenged Sevenfold**, which not only excited me but made me laugh a little. "This has to be the most shocking part of the night." I looked up at him. "You listen to Avenged Sevenfold?"

"I hadn't until I saw that tattoo," he said simply, shrugging. "I listened to them and loved them, honestly. They're quite morbid a lot of times, but they're pretty fucking amazing."

I gaped at him as he continued driving, unaware for a minute, but then he noticed and gave me a curious look. I just laughed, though, and turned it up a little. "You continue to amaze me."

He grinned. "Well, my darling, that could be a very good thing."


	17. 16: Movie Night

**yes. i am done for the night. i do apologize, but i'm starting to fall asleep on my computer. only 30 minutes since i posted 14, but still . . . . i need sleep. lol. i will put more up tomorrow, though. i promise.**

**in the meantime, if you guys read all this before i can update, review, please? :)**

* * *

**17. Ignition: TobyMac**

* * *

Edward's hand was intertwined with mine as the two of us walked into the restaurant. The waitress, who was dressed in her own gothic outfit, found herself with a great attraction to him. She was one of those people who was either a poser, for real, or an actual gothic person.

Not that it mattered. Just saying.

She instantly didn't like me because I looked slightly emo, slightly punk—something that didn't matter to me, because labels are for cans, and human beings are not cans!

Edward didn't like the way she glared at me, in any way, and he must've _really _not liked her thoughts, but he tried to hide it. He did it rather well, because he was still his usual, gentleman self as she shamelessly flirted, both for her own pleasure and for the pleasure of making my night hell.

Too bad it was already too amazing for _that _to work.

The waitresses and hostesses were all trying to get information, trying to get her to give him their number—like he would need it. But, every time, Edward's fists just tightened, and he put them all in a little pile. Once the time came for the bill, he was planning on giving them all back.

"Why not just throw them away?" I asked curiously as I continued to sip on my Dr. Pepper. "Wouldn't that be easier for them all?"

He shook his head. "I don't want them sitting around waiting for a call that's never gonna come."

That statement made my heart soar in my chest, but I pretended to not enjoy the fact that he wasn't calling them back and said, "You totally just said gonna."

He grinned at me. "What can I say, sweetheart? You're rubbing off on me."

I smiled brightly. "Well, that's good. It's quite sexy, actually, to hear your English accent mixed in with my Southern. It's a major turn on."

He laughed. "So, I turn you on now?"

I started fidgeting with my straw as my gaze held his, for the first time _ever._ It was _great_, because I finally understood why he enjoyed it, why this amused him so much.

"You doubted that?"

He kept staring at me, not saying anything as his face twisted into different expressions. At first, he was happy, but then, he got rather irritated—at me, or something else? Then, he suddenly looked devious, like a mischievous horny boy; a true seventeen-year-old boy.

That look made my cheeks flush a little. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He still didn't respond, though. If he had been going to, the waitress came back with my food and the bill before he could.

"Just let me know if you change your mind," she said seductively, giving him a pretty damn sexy smile that made my fists clench tightly around the end of the spoon I had in my hand.

I heard that little message hidden in those carefully chosen words. Let me know if you change your mind? Yeah; he's not going to you, _bitch_.

Edward looked up at me after putting all of the numbers back in there, giving me a curious look now—more Edward-like that the devious one, the one that actually turned me on from the intensity of it, the emotions behind it.

"You caught that, didn't you?"

My nose crinkled as I nodded. "Yeah." Then, I let out a huff. "And now I'm pissed."

"Don't be."

"I am," I said simply, pouting. "It's not fair. But, I guess it's my fault. I should've known it was the price I would have to pay to have an insanely gorgeous boyfriend."

He smiled. "You're not alone there, Mayzie. Honestly, I'm not sure how I've managed to stop myself from murdering Newton and that Crawley guy."

"Because you love me and know that if you murder them, you can't see me anymore?" I suggested brightly, smiling sweetly at him to accent this.

He just laughed. "Yeah; that probably really is the reason."

The movies didn't get much better, but I didn't really mind it so much, because in the movies, I was by him, and he didn't have any problem whatsoever holding me close to him, even in the line.

"What do you want to see?"

I shrugged. "I personally don't care to be completely honest." _Not really sure how much watching we'll do anyways . . . ._

He sighed but gave my hand a little squeeze. "Fine. I'm just picking something completely random." He looked over at me. "You know, Mayze, I cannot tell you the last time I went to the movies."

"Have you ever even been?"

He shook his head. "Nope, not that I remember."

"That's sad. We have to go, like, a million times now."

He grinned. "Works for me. A weekly movie date."

"Except not back to that restaurant," I said firmly, scowling. "Not only did Angel piss me off, but that other chick—Hayley, maybe—just added onto that."

He smiled down at me, which calmed me down again. It wasn't fair how all he had to do was smile to get me to relax.

Then again, I had an even greater power over him. He was willing to do just about anything for me.

The lines were pretty long, and Edward was thinking about something. I wasn't sure what, but he was completely out of it for the moment.

"It seems I lost my mind back when we first met," I sang in almost a silent whisper, so softly that no one had the slightest chance of hearing. "Right at that second, everything had changed. I might be modest on the outside looking in, but your mouth and body's got the best of me. You've got me spinning like a DJ; don't care what they say. Every minute, every day. I'm waiting for the moment. Don't know who this girl is, but she wants to make a mess. Don't leave till you're finished. Now—"

"Hi," the ticket girl said brightly, voice _drenched _with that sickly flirty tone as she spoke to Edward—the same tone I had heard all fucking night long.

What was up with all the women working tonight? Could men _not _be working? Really? Were they out to test my patience?

Edward looked down at me, frowning for some reason, but then, he gave her a small, toothless smile. "Yeah; can I have two tickets for, um, I guess _One Missed Call_." **(A/N: I know that movie is from, like, 2008, or something, but it's the only scary movie I know anything about at all, and I need the freaky song.)**

Oh shit. I didn't tell him . . . .

He would just have to distract me . . . the entire time . . . .

We walked into the theater, hand-in-hand, and he even got me a large Dr. Pepper—not a surprise at all. When we got into the movie theater, I was psyched to see that no one was in here.

It made sense, since this movie has been out a while.

"I'm just gonna watch you the entire time," I said brightly as we made our way to the top row, led by me of course, and to the corner wall seats. "Just saying."

He laughed. "But, of course. Vampire boyfriend? Sure, that's fine. Horror movies that aren't even real? No. Those _terrify _you."

"You scare me too," I informed him. "Just not in the way you would prefer. I'm not explaining. But, instead, I have a question for you. Why were you frowning at me when the lady asked you what we wanted to see?"

My favorite smile spread across his icy smooth, perfect lips; warming his entire appearance even more. "Truthfully? You stopped singing."

I froze for a second, but that didn't last long. After a minute, I decided I was bored with just staring at him—even though, in reality, I could do that forever—so I just smiled. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I can hear your heart beating," he murmured, smirking at me as the movie started playing. The song, the one missed call ringtone, freaked me out, but it was catchy.

I did _not _want to see this, but I would gladly be here with Edward.

"So, _obviously_, I'm gonna hear you quietly singing."

I sighed. "I'm sorry."

His eyebrows furrowed. "For what? I loved it. Your voice is very beautiful, Mayzie—honest."

"Really?"

"Yes," he said simply. "Really."

"I love you."

My smile spread across his features in that moment, in its brightest form I had seen, and, to my surprise, he leaned over and softly pressed his lips against my forehead, lingering for a few extra seconds.

Not that I cared.

"I love you too, Mayze; more than you could even begin to imagine."


	18. 16b: His Side of the Story

**hello all! i have to apologize. i promised this last night, and i technically _did _put it up here last night, but i also fell asleep before actually posting it. i got tired simply because i read a lot of my old stuff. i didn't mean to, but i got distracted and did, so then, i finished this and fell asleep in the middle of posting it.**

**sorry about that.**

**but here it is now. my mom's bein all, "Grr. Get stuff done now!" so imma finish my chores (one room and my room) really quickly. they're not bad, except my room. it's a wee bit messy, but it won't take 30 minutes.**

**then, i'll put ch. 20 and so on. :D then i have to work on my percussion music too today. i start school back tomorrow. XP so, yes. have to work on that, but that shouldn't be bad either.**

**samycutie, here ya go. :)**

**so, here ya go. 16b. His Side of the Story.**

**please review. :) some might not realize this is here, and they might not read it, but it's here, and if you are reading it, please review. :)**

* * *

**18. You Da One: Rihanna**

* * *

***Edward***

I couldn't be sure exactly when Mayze and I began holding hands, and I wasn't sure _how _it happened either. All I know is that as we walked into the restaurant where she would have her dinner, we were hand-in-hand.

You know, that's what I've heard about love, about true romance. It's not that fake "passion" that people mistake for love when you're holding hands and don't know when you began holding hands.

_Hello, sexy, _I heard a strange female's voice purr, but I was beyond used to this. Normally, I tuned these things out, but it was so loud, almost like she was standing in front of me.

Sure enough, there she was, dressed in her black uniform with her dyed black hair, dark makeup, and black fingernails. There was nothing wrong with any of that, but she seemed to be trying a little too hard to be a gothic for my tastes.

She certainly wanted me, though.

The only reason I even noticed her, besides her thoughts screaming at me, was because I could feel Mayze tense up beside me, just at the sight of her. She also took one look at Mayze and began thinking very harsh things about her, simply because of the way she was dressed.

Even though I knew this was how people were nowadays, I was _not _happy. Any other time, I wouldn't have even given it second thought, but she was calling _my _Mayze a bitch? No. That's not okay.

Very tightly, I stepped to the girl and looked her dead in the eye with an impassive, dead look in my eye. "Two please, in the back preferably."

I knew I must've been glaring, because Mayze looked up at me suddenly when she went to see if there was a clear table where I requested. The girl had left a little disoriented from my gaze, but I don't think Mayze noticed.

She mostly just thought about it, so I did.

Mayze's eyes were shining, though, as she looked at me, and I could almost see a smile tugging at the corner of her lips—simply because I didn't like the girl more than she didn't like the girl.

I then did my very best to bottle these things inside, because Esme has taught me better than being mean. So, by the time she got back, I was able to give her a polite smile.

She giggled a little and pulled out two menus. "Right this way please."

That flirty giggle was made to serve two purposes, clearly. One, she wanted to make Mayze's night worse, and two, she wanted to genuinely flirt with me. It was _mostly _for the latter reason, but she certainly didn't mind hitting two birds with one stone.

Mayze didn't really seem to be too bothered by that, not until she sat us down and placed her hand on my shoulder. Through my thick clothes, she couldn't feel my icy skin, not to the degree that usually kept people's hands off of me, so she just had it there the whole time.

That pushed all of Mayze's buttons, and then, when she leaned over to "check the ketchup bottle" for us—basically, her attempt to put her cleavage right in my face as a way to sway me from Mayze—I thought Mayze was gonna punch her.

She would have if I hadn't distracted her by not only ducking below her and looking directly at her but also playing the very human flirting game of footsie, I think it's called. It was mostly to distract her from punching the girl, but I ended up having a little fun with it.

I could hear all of them in the back as our waitress walked off, trying to impress me by swinging her hips distinctively as she walked away. I didn't look to see, but I could hear her thinking about it as she left.

Anyways, everyone in the back was murmuring to each other, talking to Angel—our waitress' name, her tag said—and trying to get all the details on me. I hadn't realized it would be like this, going inside a restaurant, because I had never been inside one as a vampire. It was, though, and they were all using old order tickets to write their numbers down for me, almost forcing Angel to pass them along. She planned to, but hers was gonna be first, in her mind.

I almost groaned out-loud, but I decided to stop focusing on all those other things and focus solely on Mayze.

I took a deep breath. "Well, this hasn't exactly started out just right."

She smiled softly and shrugged, leaning back against her booth casually. Her bright blue gaze bore deep into my own gaze, and I felt myself burning inside. It wasn't a painful burn, but it was an incredible burn that started growing into desire.

It didn't help things when a waitress "accidentally" tripped and spilt water right on my pants. It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't started trying to clean it off, purposely groping it a time or two and running off suddenly, almost squealing to her coworkers.

"It's _so _big!" she excitedly whispered to them, and they all began freaking out.

I was wide eyed as I looked to Mayze, who had already begun to stand up to head back to beat them up. That, though, was when Angel came back to get our order.

Mayze was _livid_ and panting furiously. "Dr. Pepper."

Angel looked to me. "And for you, sir? I am so sorry about that. She's a clumsy one."

I gave her a forced smile and shrugged. "It's alright. I'll have the same as her. She's ready to order her food, too."

The waitress faked her own smile over at Mayze, who was just glaring darkly up at her. "Of course. What can I get for you ma'am?"

"You can start by keeping your hands off _my _boyfriend," she suggested in her own cute chipper tone, but it was clearly sarcastic. "I'll have the spaghetti, though."

I was trying not to grin too big, but it was hard to do as the waitress' eyes tightened. With rigid movements, she turned sharply and cussed out Mayze the entire way back to the kitchen with her coworkers.

It wasn't too much longer before she kept coming back with different numbers that she tried to hide from Mayze. Mayze wasn't stupid, though, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she focused solely on me.

As the numbers began piling up, waiting for the check to arrive, she began loosening up a little and feeling more at ease. I think, deep down—even though she would never admit it—that she was scared she was gonna lose me. Even though she would never really admit this out-loud, she didn't think she was good enough for me.

Too bad she didn't realize how backwards that sentence really was.

She took a drink of her Dr. Pepper with furrowed eyebrows. "Why not just throw them away? Wouldn't that be easier for them all?"

"I don't want them sitting around waiting for a call that's never gonna come," I said quietly after shaking my head a little.

She clearly enjoyed hearing this, but for whatever reason, she tried to hide it and simply took another sip of her Dr. Pepper before commenting, "You totally just said gonna."

I grinned, loving that she was so easily able to change the conversation. "What can I say, sweetheart? You're rubbing off on me."

The most beautiful smile began spreading across her lips as her eyes grew unfocused, something she didn't seem to be in control of completely, but she wasn't off for long as she looked back to me with pure love burning in her eyes. "Well, that's good. It's quite sexy, actually, to hear your English accent mixed in with my Southern. It's a major turn on."

I couldn't help but laugh, because although _I've _never experienced it before, I've heard that when you're happy enough, the only way to truly express it is through laughter. That's where I was, and there was no turning back.

"So, I turn you on now?"

As she began rolling her straw around the rim of her almost empty glass, her eyes met mine in an unbreakably captivating gaze. I had no control over my sight, suddenly, and I wanted nothing more than to stare into the depths of her beautifully blue orbs of pure wonder and mystery.

I _hated _this feeling, being so overpowered so suddenly. It wasn't ever supposed to be backwards, but somehow, this human was _overpowering _me. It wasn't supposed to be possible, just like I wasn't supposed to be able to fall in love with her, but it was happening, and I already had.

She had a slight, almost unconscious, smirk on her lips, but she didn't break the gaze. "You doubted that?"

I could feel my face twisting into each different emotion that came along with her statement, and of course, I kept gazing at her. There were no words that seemed logical, that seemed like the right thing to say. This made me happy at first, realizing that I _did, _in fact, turn this girl on. She was attracted to me in the same sense that I was attracted to her, and I was absolutely overjoyed to find this out.

Another thing occurred to me, though. Why was I letting this happen? Why was I sitting her letting her fall harder for me? Rose was absolutely right to say that I needed to get out while I still could if my intent was to leave her, so I had to decide.

Could I be with her and still keep her a human? I had to, because Jasper and I made a bet.

I was irritated with myself, suddenly finding myself getting hard when thinking about how _terrible _I was, thinking about how I was a monster. Add a small statement onto that, and you get my exact thoughts.

_I was a monster, and she should lock me in a room and teach me a lesson._

Just thinking about this possibility brought out the seventeen-year-old boy I never got to be. As far as I could remember, no one had ever caught my eye, nothing like this. Now, I wanted this girl in all the worst of ways. I wanted her to lock me up. I wanted her to do everything her simple human mind could desire, even things _my _mind desired.

I could see it now, the two of us sneaking to some motel or something, and me ripping her beautiful dress of her slender, absolutely perfect frame, letting myself roam and p—

When I began growing warmer, I snapped out of that thought as my main focus, but this was still going on in the back of my mind. First, though, I focused back on Mayze herself, with her rosy cheeks.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she mumbled softly, disoriented.

I knew Angel was on her way over here, so I didn't bother saying anything. Right when she almost asked again, Angel gave her a new Dr. Pepper and spaghetti.

I had to admit. Even though she was thinking mean things about Mayze and she really didn't like her, she was a really good waitress.

She gave me the best attempt at a taunting smile as she could muster up, and human guys probably would've liked it, but I didn't. I scarcely even noticed it, even when she purred, "Just let me know if you change your mind."

Mayze was gripping the fork in her hand tightly, but thankfully, it was just the handle, so there was no blood drawn.

As she walked away, I almost sighed out-loud. _Let me know if you decide to leave that ugly tramp and choose me._

Carefully, I began placing every number into the bill folder, along with a fifty dollar bill. When it was carefully placed, my gaze shifted back up to Mayze, only to find her glaring even more bitterly than before after Angel.

My gaze grew curious. "You caught that, didn't you?"

She nodded and crinkled her nose a little. "Yeah." Then, she huffed irritably. "And now I'm pissed."

"Don't be," I murmured gently, giving her a small smile to try and help her calm herself a little.

"I am," she said simply, poking her bottom lip out in an almost adorable way. "It's not fair. But, I guess it's my fault. I should've known it was the price I would have to pay to have an insanely gorgeous boyfriend."

I couldn't help but smile. "You're not alone there, Mayzie. Honestly, I'm not sure how I've managed to stop myself from murdering Newton and that Crawley guy."

"Because you love me and know that if you murder them, you can't see me anymore?" she very happily suggest with a cute, innocent smile to almost give me more reason to want to be around her—not that I needed anymore reason. I already had more reason than I needed.

I had to laugh a little, though. "Yeah; that probably really is the reason."

And it was true.

* * *

"What do you want to see?" I asked curiously with my arm wrapped carefully around Mayze's waist, eyes on the movie list above us.

She shrugged. "I personally don't care to be completely honest." She almost seemed to add something onto her statement in her head, something that made me dismal a little. I couldn't hear what it was.

I couldn't help but sigh at this reminder and took her hand in mine. "Fine. I'm just picking something completely random." I took my first look back over at her, which brightened things up again. "You know, Mayze, I cannot tell you the last time I went to the movies."

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Have you ever even been?"

I shook my head. "Nope, not that I remember."

"That's sad. We have to go, like, a million times now," she said quickly.

I couldn't stop myself from grinning at her. "Works for me. A weekly movie date."

"Except not back to that restaurant," she decisively stated with a scowl. "Not only did Angel piss me off, but that other chick—Hayley, maybe—just added onto that."

I couldn't help but smile all over again, loving how jealous she was, and thankfully, my smile seemed to calm her anger away all over again.

I began to think about the situation I was in, not really getting to the darker side of things right now. Now, I was with Mayze, and we were on a date. It was something I had never been on—a date, that is—and I wasn't gonna ruin it with my depressing and irritating thoughts. Instead, I merely thought over the evening, thoroughly enjoying my first date.

For the most part. I could've gone without some stranger grabbing my penis and telling her coworkers the size of it. I could've done without the flirting waitress trying to destroy my girlfriend—if that word is even good enough—too, but Mayze made it all worth it.

I just hoped that I did the same for her.

There was a bit of a line, and that's why I was thinking through the night. Suddenly, something pierced through my thoughts—the most incredible sound I had heard since I first heard Mayze talk.

Who would've guessed the girl can sing too?

"It seems I lost my mind back when we first met," she sang in almost a silent whisper. I knew no one else could hear her, and she probably didn't want me to hear either. It was just so _good_, and I really couldn't help myself. "Right at that second, everything had changed. I might be modest on the outside looking in, but your mouth and body's got the best of me. You've got me spinning like a DJ; don't care what they say. Every minute, every day—I'm waiting for the moment. Don't know who this girl is, but she wants to make a mess. Don't leave till you're finished. Now—"

"Hi," the ticket girl, Kara, said in an overly bright tone. It wasn't that way with anyone, not like this. She had found some of the guys attractive that passed through, and even some of the ones on dates slipped her their number, but I had absolutely no intentions of doing so.

I wasn't able to answer her, not until I frowned down at Mayze. I wasn't ready to stop hearing that voice. Then I remembered that I was holding up the line, though, so I gave her the tiniest smile and nodded. "Yeah. Can I have two tickets for, um, I guess _One Missed Call_."

She slipped us the tickets, and I was quick to take Mayze's hand back into mine and lead her into the theater. I didn't even ask if she wanted a drink, because she was already protesting about the money I was spending on her. So, I just bought it and guilted her into it.

The movie theater was _empty_. Normally, that wouldn't put us in a good situation, but like I've stated before, I was too scared to lose her scent to kill her.

Doesn't mean accidents don't happen, but I was being very careful with her.

"I'm just gonna watch you the entire time," she informed me as she led us up to the top row in the corner by the wall, which she seemed to love the best for whatever reason. "Just saying."

This was beyond surprising, but I had to laugh. "But, of course. Vampire boyfriend? Sure, that's fine. Horror movies that aren't even real? No. Those _terrify _you."

"You scare me too," she assured me, but something about her tone clued me into the fact that it wasn't the way that was best—the way that was natural. "Just not in the way you would prefer. I'm not explaining. But, instead, I have a question for you. Why were you frowning at me when the lady asked you what we wanted to see?"

I had noticed, over time, that the smile I suddenly got made her happier than all of my other smiles seemed to—not that she didn't like any of them or anything. This one, though, seemed to have a certain pull on her, and she couldn't help but get flustered. Her heart even beat a thousand miles a minute.

Either way, I was smiling that smile at her. "Truthfully? You stopped singing."

She stiffened up for a brief few seconds, but it felt like longer for me. Seconds were like minutes to me, almost, but things were different with Mayze, unless she was frozen in shock.

After getting over her apparent shock, she smiled. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I can hear your heart beating," I reminded her with a cocky smirk. The song, the one missed call ringtone, was clearly already freaking her out, but a part of her kinda liked it too. I just kept smirking and continued. "So, _obviously_, I'm gonna hear you quietly singing."

She sighed, taking this as a distraction from the movie. "I'm sorry."

My eyebrows furrowed together. "For what? I loved it. Your voice is very beautiful, Mayzie—honest."

She looked surprised, and her eyes even widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes," I replied truthfully. "Really."

"I love you," she sighed, and she began smiling.

Carefully, after smiling her seemingly favorite smile over at her, and before replying to her statement that I still didn't understand how it could be true, I leaned over and kissed her forehead for four seconds solid and then pulled myself away.

"I love you too, Mayze—more than you could even begin to imagine."

* * *

I wasn't ready to say goodbye to her as she got out and headed inside. It was selfish and wrong, and what if she simply crashed?

Instead of thinking about it, I just drove home as fast as I could go—faster than I was comfortable going with Mayze in the car. They were all waiting, expectant, but no one said a word as I rushed through the door and straight up to my room to change in more casual clothes.

Emmett stood resolute in front of the door, while Jasper stood his own position in front of the garage door. The two were grinning deviously at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"What, guys?"

Emmett shrugged. "Did you get laid?"

I rolled my eyes again. "No, Em. That would be stupid. I did get groped by some waitress who 'accidentally' spilled water on me. I've gotta go. Got somewhere to be."

Emmett guffawed as I made my way out the door, rolling my eyes along the way. On top of rolling my eyes, I was also grinning a little.

Man, I love my brothers.

It was decided in my mind that I was right to think about going to Mayze's house. Now was the time to try my limits, see just how far I could let myself go. I had been thinking a lot about this, especially after she kissed me Monday, but now, I knew.

I was ready to try and kiss her.


	19. 17: Boys

**Crazy day. I'm so sorry i'm not posting until now, but . . . Happy New Year! :D **

**Now, a special thank you to rachLA, who i think has been reviewing every chapter. that really means a lot. all of my reviews do, but i love getting one for each chapter, so thank you so much for that.**

**other reviewers too. thank you, so, so much. :)**

**now, rachLA? yes. i was trying to go for the human effect, because (no offense to Stephanie) but they seemed a little too . . . awkward to me. :) well, i'm glad you think my story is awesome. and your favorite author on the whole site? i'm completely . . . oh my tigers. that's awesome! thank you, so very much. :) :) :) my other fanfics . . . hehe, most of the ones i'm currently working on haven't been posted. XD but thank you anyways. that's awesome. :) :) i'm glad you like the music. honest. some songs, i don't enjoy listening to myself, but the lyrics fit for the most part. lol. and yes. yay for jealousy! XD**

**okay. dancinggirl27, thank you. :) i try to make it as interesting as i possibly can. lol. i will update as much as possible, as long as you guys continue being awesome and reviewing. :D**

**yes. please do that. thanks. :)**

**warning. this is slightly like the movie, part of it. i mean, i didn't _mean _to do it that way. when i finished this chapter and read over it, i was like, "oh wow. that reminds me of what happened in the movie." and i couldn't really think how to change it but still keeping the same effect. so, it's a little like the movie, but that's okay. :)**

**without further ado, chapter 17. i'll try and update more tomorrow. things just got super crazy super fast. so, yes . . . but i hope you had a great holiday season this year. :)**

* * *

**19. Outta Control: Thousand Foot Krutch (TFK)**

* * *

***Mayze***

Charlie was in the living room watching TV when I got home, which surprised me a little. Even on weekends, he was usually asleep by eleven; unless a game was on, or something.

Or if Jake and Bella went out on a date, he waited up to make sure they were home at the very latest their _exact _curfew time. But, he loved Edward a lot more than he loved Jake, even though he's known Jake longer. I guess it's just Edward's charm. The point is, our date wasn't the reason for him staying up late. It wasn't to check our timing either, because he didn't even so much as glance at the clock when I came in.

"Have fun, kiddo?"

"Tons," I said honestly, aware I had on that flirty, bright, eager smile I always wore whenever I was thinking about Edward. At this point, I had on his hat and jacket, because I had gotten cold, and I had told him about his hat.

He could get the jacket later; tomorrow, actually.

When I walked up to my bedroom, the monstrosity on my bed—the mountain of clothes—amused me, to the point I laughed a little. Hidden under the piles was my bed, the place I had to sleep.

Oh, my school stuff was there too.

School . . . it had become one of my favorite times. Edward had started waking me up and getting me every day, to my great pleasure and Bella's dismay—Jake's too.

Being with Edward had some negative effects too. As much as I wish I could say it had nothing but positive things working for me, I couldn't. Bella and I grew farther and farther apart. It was starting to get out of hand. She wasn't helping me fix it either. Any time I tried to fix it and get close again, she'd pull away from me and walk off.

I'm not really sure what's gotten into her. I mean, honestly, she's been hanging around Jake _way_ too much. Am I being mean, rude, and distant because she's dating a werewolf? _No_. Therefore, she shouldn't be that stuff because I'm dating a vampire.

So, what's the big deal?

The song _The Game_ by **Drowning Pool** came on through my computer speakers the second I turned the computer on and the speakers on. I wasn't on my iTunes, because I didn't feel like getting on there. So, instead, I was listening to my playlist on . It was actually pretty kickass, if you ask me. They have a lot of amazing songs on there, and now you can add one that they don't have.

It's awesome.

My cell phone started ringing, right as I began to sing along and clear off my bed in big piles. It wasn't _The Collapse_, which is on my playlist, so it wasn't a text. It was Mom's favorite song in my library—_Good Life_ by **OneRepublic**. That meant she was calling me.

I rushed over to the desk where it was sitting, on the polar opposite end of the room. Before I answered it, I turned the music down a little and continued to move all of my clothes back into my walk-in closet so I could lay down and talk to my mother. "Hello?"

"Mayze!" Renée squealed loudly on the other end. I could hear a sort of echo in the background, confusing me a little. "Oh, baby, it's so nice to hear your voice again!"

I smiled brightly as I leaned back against my headboard, liking the sound of her voice a lot too strangely enough. "Yours too, Mom. How are things there?"

"Things are awesome here," she said honestly. "It would be a lot better with you and Bella here, though."

I grimaced at that thought as I shifted a little in the bed, getting myself nice and comfortable and warm under my covers. Just the _thought_ of leaving now was bad, almost as bad as the thought of Edward leaving me.

But, hey. I wouldn't just hate leaving _completely_ because of Edward. Charlie's great too. We get along better than him, and Bella because the two of them are so alike they don't like being around each other too often. We're complete opposites, whereas Renée and I were similar in a lot of ways—but not as similar as Charlie and Bella.

"She says you both hate it there. You really should—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I interrupted swiftly as I completely sat up, mouth hanging open in irritation and shock. My eyebrows furrowed too, as an added measure, but she couldn't see that. A part of me wanted to go tell Bella to stay the fuck out of my life, but I decided that wouldn't help anything, and Renée would be pissed. "She said _what_?"

"She said neither of you are happy there," Renée said leisurely, almost as if she was frowning. She, honestly, sounded confused. "Is that not true?"

"No," I breathed instantly before laying back against the headboard, now calm since I realized that Renée wasn't about to demand we move up there. I put my hair up in a loose ponytail, to get it out of my way while I had this important discussion with her. "Gosh, I love it here. Forks is really growing on me, and not just because of the rain and cold."

"Oh," she said softly before suddenly gasping, understanding just what I meant at that moment. "Is it because of a boy? I swear! You and Bella don't ever find anyone in a big city like Phoenix, but you move to a small town like Forks, and you instantly find them. Those Forks boys are trouble. Or are you going to say he's not a Forks boy, he's a La Push boy too?"

"He's from Forks," I said honestly, letting out a sigh of content as my mind wandered away from this room and off towards a happier place—my thoughts of Edward. "But, he's not like all the other guys. Honestly, he's not like any guy I've ever met or even heard of."

Ain't that the truth?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Edward was sitting on the edge of my bed with a soft, dazzling smile on his lips—a toothless version of my smile, it seemed. I gasped loudly in surprise and ended up dropping my phone onto the comfort of my bed. That, though, made his smile turn into my favorite, crooked grin—truly my smile.

I had to reach out and feel his cool skin against my fingers to fully believe I wasn't so far in Edward Land that I was seeing him, but I felt it, so I knew he was there. It was hard to calm myself, but I had to before picking my phone back up.

"Mayze?" Renée asked frantically, suddenly concerned. "What did you gasp for? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said candidly, a soft laugh escaping my lips after I said it. "Forks has a lot of scary things. There's a tree right beside my window, and it hit against the window, so I thought someone was knocking on my window."

Again.

"Oh," she said softly before her voice got eager. "So, let's talk boys. Bella wouldn't tell me _anything_ about her man. Is he a jock? Wait. Knowing you, he's an awesome, cool guy who isn't one of the preps, am I right?"

I laughed before looking over at Edward, who was watching me intently. I knew he was listening to both ends, with his super vampire hearing that I found out about today. "Yeah, Mom, he is—but more so than that."

"What does he look like?"

"Like you wouldn't even imagine," I said sincerely as I sat up again and scooted myself closer to him. I, thankfully, got to change, so I was in a black camisole and a pair of periwinkle short Soffe shorts. He already said I pulled off the pajama, not really trying look. "I mean, oh my tigers, he's so gorgeous. I'll send you a picture in a minute. I mean, Dad even loves him, Mom. You will too. He's just . . . ." I let out a sigh of content as he softly smiled. The smile stayed soft, but it brightened as my eyes met his. "Perfect."

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed loudly, sounding like her usual self again—much too young for her age. "Well, then. I guess he's okay, just as long as he's not any ordinary Forks boy."

"No," I disagreed quickly, shaking my head. "He's not." I blinked as he looked away.

Damn that boy. He had held my eyes captive again.

"The ones I know are really . . . well, honestly, there's not a word good enough for them. Strange is the one that comes closest, but that's still not good enough. I mean, sure, they're nice, but there's a certain point where you need to just stop."

She laughed. "Yeah. You're still the same Mayze. Bella's changed, though. She has that boy, but she's scared, she says, to make a commitment. Gosh, I don't know what to do. She wants to get away, ASAP, but now, I can't just take you away."

Maybe _this_ proposition would shut Bella up. Maybe she would see how ticked I am at her right now and just back the fuck off and stay out of _my _business.

"Why doesn't she come live up there?" I suggested quietly, not really liking the sound of it as I said it. But, I knew it wouldn't happen, and word would get back to Bella next time she and Renée talked. So, I felt like I had to say it in order to get my point across. "I mean, we'll keep in touch."

"What?" she asked slowly, after a good ten seconds of silence at least. "Did I just hear that? You and Bella never part. What's gotten into you?"

I sighed and shook my head, looking back up to Edward now; not to say it's his fault, because it wasn't, but it was just because he relaxed me in the worst of situations. "It's complicated."

Edward let out the smallest sigh as he looked down at the floor, and I knew _why_ he did too.

He thought this was his fault when it clearly wasn't, but he seems to think we're separating because of him. I mean, sure, that's it, but it's not his fault at all. It's Bella and her stupid dog's fault, because they can't mind their own business and stop acting like they know someone. He needs to let go of his prejudices and realize Edward's not just some filthy bloodsucker!

"Hey, Mom," I said quietly before taking the ponytail holder out and running my fingers through my hair. "Can I talk to you later?"

"We're not done talking boys!" she insisted, begging me to just stay on the phone with her. "Do I need to get birth control pills secretly up there? I mean, come on, Mayze! Are you keeping it safe?"

My eyes widened as I quickly ended the call, throwing the phone to the other end of my room as quickly as possible. Edward darkly chuckled beside me, especially when my cheeks turned a bright, deep red color—the darkest he had seen yet.

A glance at my phone was all I needed to make sure it was okay, because it had landed on my mountain of clothes sitting in the closet entrance.

My eyes met his, and man was I glad they did. They were warmer and brighter than usual, brighter than I remember them being earlier, and he was in something different now, something even more casual.

He was in a pair of sweats and just a regular black t-shirt.

His smirk was now a smile turned soft and full of love. "Hi."

I moved over to sit beside him and propped up on my knees. I was turned towards him so I could be closer to him with my curious gaze. "Did you come in through the window?"

"Yeah," he admitted, the smile continuing to change into something new; this time my smile. He turned to face me too so it would be easier to look at each other and talk. "I came by last night to do it, but you were asleep, and I really didn't think it was okay to watch you sleep. I hope you don't mind, but I heard you talking."

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I do that."

"So, you're not mad?"

I sighed deeply, needing only a second to think about it, before shaking my head. "No. I mean, you _didn't _creep in my house and watch me sleep. It would be different if you were in here, and we were laying on my bed or something, but just kinda watching me from the corner? A little weird."

He chuckled softly. "I won't do that. Promise. You said my name, though, and it kinda excited me."

I blushed furiously as I looked down at my knees. "Uh . . . ."

"Hey," he said softly, one of his long, narrow, ice cold fingers moving up to my chin and tilting my face up to where I was looking in his eyes. "You shouldn't be ashamed. I'd dream about you if I could, and I'll openly admit that."

I brightly smiled. "Really? You don't have anything better that you would want to dream about?"

He frowned at me. "I'll have you know—"

I laughed, which cut him off. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. You probably think the same thing about _me_ dreaming of you."

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling again. "I do."

We were silent for a few seconds. The only sound I could hear was my breathing, but I was sure he heard way more. The wind picked up too, and that added something else. Other than that, we were just staring into each other's eyes.

It wasn't an awkward silence. It was more of a moving silence, a silence used to ponder and look into each other's eyes, to connect and bond in a new way we had never really had a chance to do before in our six weeks together.

"So," I finally said, after I had pinned just what he was thinking and feeling—or my guess anyways. "Is there a specific reason you came, or was it just to visit? I mean, that's perfectly fine, but I was just curious."

That smile spread across his lips, the one that made me feel so amazing inside. "There's something I've wanted to try since the first day I met you, and even more-so since Monday; tonight too. You have to promise me one thing, though."

"Anything," I said honestly, finding myself scooting even closer to him, yet again.

"Don't move," he whispered softly, his icy sweet breath washing over my face, as his cold hands moved up and gently cradled my face. His eyes held mine—nothing out of the ordinary—and when I actually saw him leaning in, I knew exactly what he meant, why he had asked such an unusual request.

I completely froze, like I had promised. He was going slowly, as if to test himself. His face stopped just a millimeter away from mine as he closed his eyes. He started taking slow, deep breaths, to calm himself; and I was watching him intently, waiting patiently for the thing I longed for.

His stone cold, smooth lips very tenderly pressed against mine, but only for a second—yet longer than the first time. He then kept his face very, very close to mine as he looked at me; studying my reaction carefully, inside and out. My heart was racing in my chest, something I knew he heard, and I was finding it rather difficult to breathe, especially since he decided to stay that close.

But, not even two seconds after the first kiss was over, he was kissing me again. It was a little longer than the first kiss, and maybe even a little more eager—okay, definitely more eager, but still not quite like I wanted; like I knew he did too. It was a soft, sweet, passionate, desired kiss, a kiss that had every emotion we had felt towards each other since day one wrapped up inside of it.

From my lips all the way to my toes, I felt electric. A tingling sensation swept over me, and it quickly changed into that usual high voltage electric current. I was a livewire, and that left me craving for more.

It was a special kiss in which the entire world cracked open into this huge inferno around us.

That one special kiss didn't last long, which was only slightly surprising. But, when the third kiss came . . . damn.

He was more enthusiastic this time, maybe because he realized he could do it. Either way, he was more into it; by a long shot. My lips molded onto his, again, as I rose up on my knees a little more, where he had to tilt his head up a little towards me. My fingers knotted in his hair as he pulled back quickly for just a moment before he pushed me back on my bed. Then, his lips were just as eagerly meeting mine.

He pulled me closer to him, pressing my body tightly against his, making me realize that this was making him a horny vampire—myself a horny human being. Somehow, I now found myself on top, so I planned to make the most of it. My legs straddled his waist to make this easier for both of us, and I just let his hands roam up the back of my camisole, where they massaged a sweet spot gently, that spot between my shoulder blades.

This went on for a good five minutes, at least.

In that moment, I found myself on top of a vampire, straddling him, and making out with him—hard. Nothing was registering in my mind except him, being with him in such a new, intimate way that I never thought about being with anyone in such away in all of my life.

We changed positions, somehow, to where he was on top, and his lips started moving down away from my lips, down to my stomach, and then up to my chest. Suddenly, his teeth lightly scraped against my neck, causing me to gasp in surprise. But, he just chuckled darkly before he then started gently sucking on my neck.

Out of nowhere, though, he leaped back away from me, over to the other side of the room. His breathing was heavy, even though he didn't have to breathe at all. Me, on the other hand?

I was panting. That was seriously breathtaking, more-so than anything else I'd experienced, and the thought of death-by-kiss occurred to me.

That would be an amazing way to go.

He was different, though, than he had been when the kiss started. I hadn't noticed then when it was actually happening, but he didn't have a shirt on.

If I thought I was gonna die before . . . .

Edward shirtless was just what you would call complete perfection. He was more muscular than I had originally noticed, but it was nothing like Emmett. Emmett, though, probably didn't have a well defined, chiseled, sexy eight-pack and just an absolutely perfect chest, or perfectly sculpted arms—perfectly sculpted everything that I had seen so far. In my taste, at least from the looks of it, Emmett was _too_ muscular. Edward was just absolutely perfect.

Edward started breathing heavily all over again as he looked at me, but I wasn't sure why. His eyes were full of desire and slight pain, maybe, at the same time, but deep down, hidden behind the pain was that mischievous teenage boy again.

He was so horny! It was a very positive sign for the future.

My eyes shot wide open when I realized why, though, he was looking at me like this again. "Oh. That . . . that was . . . ."

He swallowed and nodded, knowing just what I was trying to stutter out. "I can never lose control or get carried away with you. I just can't."

"I'm sorry," I breathed before covering my face with my hands. "I . . . I'm not as strong as you, I guess."

I felt him lightly sit down on my bed, and cold hands gently wrapped around my wrist as he pulled my hands away from my face. "Mayze, you weren't the only one who got too carried away. I did too." His lips gently pressed against my forehead before he rested his forehead gently against mine; eyes closed and breathing slow.

Maybe he was getting used to my scent, or maybe he was just trying to clear some emotions out of his head. Either way, his hands rested gently on my arms before his lips fervently met mine again, nothing like before.

He was controlled now and calm; he had everything under control.

And I wasn't sure if I liked that or not. I did and didn't at the same time. Yes, the kiss was still amazing, but a little out of control couldn't hurt anybody.

Or, I guess it could . . . technically.


	20. 18: Intro

**okay. so, here it is, finally. i know, all day. i started working on it earlier, but things came up, and . . . anyways, it's a long one. it took a bit to read over and edit, but i got it done. :D so, here it is. i'll put more up before i crash.**

**oh, samycutie, i saw where you reviewed that you would like to know what Edward was thinking on their date. so, i decided to do a chapter which is purely his point of view of the evening. i'll put it right after Ch.16 when i get it done, and i hope you enjoy. :)**

**anyone can read it, obviously. lol. it'll just be put up for you to read.**

**rachLA, i am seriously flattered that you talk about me to your parents! like, you are amazing. :) seriously. you just make my day all the time, and i have to thank you a million bazillion times for that. :) i will have those pics up before i go to bed . . . hopefully. if not, i'll do it the first chance i get tomorrow. promise.**

**now, please, you awesome readers and reviewers you, continue to do just that-review. it really does make me much happier, as i try to express to you, and it drives me. it really does. this whole thing is still up and going because of _you_. so, continue doing that, please?**

* * *

**20. Hold My Heart: Tenth Avenue North**

* * *

I had a hicky . . . that bastard gave me a fucking hicky! How would I explain it?

Of course, I had to try everything I could to cover it up, because it was _bad_, but even makeup wouldn't work just right. My hair hid it decently well, and with makeup on top of it, it only looked like a normal one.

But, damn it!

After I figured out how to slightly attempt to hide it, we had a little fashion show. Normally, I didn't care what I looked like and I wouldn't do this, but it was Edward's family—just like last night had been my first date with him. And, I mean, it's not like I bored him with the show. We had fun with it, and it got us both laughing so hard at some points. We had to be quiet, though, because if Bella heard _anything_, she would have Jake over and investigating to see if he had been here.

I would be busted too, and Charlie would _not _be happy.

So, Edward wasn't much help at first, because everything I walked out to—except the time I walked out in a bikini, which didn't help his desires at all—he said was just fine and perfect.

I tried being sophisticated, pretty, and just about everything I could be except me.

Then, I walked out in a pair of faded short dark blue jean shorts. I had on a black lacy camisole with a white fitting v-neck t-shirt with Fireflight written on it in black, bright neon blue, hot pink, and charcoal grey for the top. To accent this look, I had on his hat, a pair of knee-high black and bright neon blue striped socks, and my fitting fingerless gloves—the ones that came down to my wrists, right above the tattoos.

You could still see the one on my thumb too, which made me happy.

Also, for shoes, I had on a pair of black and neon blue converse. Honestly, I was just putting something on, but when I came out, he instantly said, "That's it right there. Don't try on anything else. That, Mayzie, is you, and I love that, more than anything. It's perfect."

So, that was what I had decided on—or, we had.

Before Charlie left for work, which was _really_ early for a Saturday—around six—I was up and by the door, waiting on him, because I was already ready. It was about two when I went to bed, but when Edward left to go home, I made sure he woke me up so I could get ready.

It was nice, waking up to him. That was definitely something I could get used to.

"Mayze?" Charlie asked warily as he put on his police belt, the one with the holster and his loaded gun. It sorta made me nervous, but, he hadn't shot at _Jake_, so I was one hundred percent positive that I could say he wouldn't even think about shooting Edward. Jake? The thought crossed his mind. You could tell by the way his eyes darted over to his gun when Jake came to pick Bella up for their first date.

He just doesn't like him.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"Edward wanted to say something," I admitted as I stood up, shrugging. "So, I decided to let him come before you leave. Therefore, I'm up too, because I'll just leave with him."

"Well," he murmured, sounding truly disappointed, before looking at his watch. "Tell him I'm sorry, but I've got to go."

Right then, I heard the growl of his engine pull up in the driveway. It was the soft purr, yet it was loud enough for me to hear, since I was listening for it. A bright smile spread across my lips, in that instant, and I just laughed a little at the timing. "Tell him yourself. He's right out here."

He probably planned that.

"Let your sister know," he ordered, grabbing his coffee cup off of the table and pointing at me. "I've got a few minutes to spare, for Edward."

**Hey, Bells!**

**Now, I know you're not his biggest fan, but oh well. I'm already off to Edward's. He's being a gentleman and wanted to thank Dad, or something. I don't remember. But, the point is, I got up early and went with him. Just . . . don't get mad. I love you, Bells, but I love him too. He's not gonna hurt me. Ignore Jake and just trust me, your baby sister.**

** Love,**

** Mayze**

I folded it up and wrote _**Bella**_ across the front in big, bold letters before bouncing to the door.

As I opened the door, Edward was just about to knock. He looked _very_ sexy. He was in a charcoal button-up shirt with the top unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows again. For a jacket, since I was wearing his, he had on a different one; a black, zip up Three Days Grace hoodie. He also had on a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of black and charcoal Batman sneakers. His hair was actually spiked up a little to make a mini Mohawk.

I couldn't help but grin at the entire sight, but that grin turned into my bright, adoring smile. "Hi! Come on in."

He smiled back and nodded. "Alright." He courteously stepped past me and inside. It was kinda funny, to me. I mean, he was always sweet and very gentleman-like, but this was funny. He was never _this_ gentleman-like—around me, at least. He always knew he could have fun and be himself around me.

"Alrighty," I said blissfully before grabbing Edward's arm. He looked down at me with a tiny, adoring smile on his lips. "Let's go."

He laughed softly but gently grabbed my wrist to stop me, which it did—of course. "Hang on, Mayze. Give me two minutes, please?"

"Yeah," Charlie agreed happily before smiling at Edward. "He hasn't said whatever it was he wanted to say."

Edward smiled back at him. "I just wanted to thank you, Chief—sorry, Charlie—for letting her come with me today."

Charlie smiled at him. "It's no problem. I'm pretty sure Jake's coming over today, and he's bringing a bunch of his friends, so she would be a third wheel anyways. It actually helps. I just wonder. Will we be seeing a lot of you?"

I looked up at him with a bright, curious smile. "Will we?"

Edward met my gaze again as he looked down at me with his emerald eyes. He smiled softly and nodded. "If you want."

Charlie laughed softly. "Well, I'll take that as a yes. Now, if you two will excuse me, I've got to get off to work. It was nice seeing you again, Edward."

"You two, Charlie," he said distinctively before giving him a sheepish smile to go along with it. "Thanks for letting her come."

"No problem," Charlie said brightly, putting his jacket on to go with his snazzy uniform. "Just take her whenever you want."

I frowned, and, of course, my arms stubbornly folded over my chest. "Hey!"

Charlie just laughed as he shut the door and walked out to his cruiser, not even bothering to reply in any way—other than the laugh.

Edward wrapped his arms securely around my waist as my smile spread vibrantly across his lips. "Are you ready, love?"

I nodded before taking a deep breath to calm myself, relax my nerves—which were spazzing right now. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Of course, the car ride was full of pointless, random conversations, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was perfect, completely random, and so much fun. We both ended up singing the song _What the Hell _by Avril Lavigne extremely off key. I don't know about you, but I can't hit those notes. I'm not that good. It was a good stress and nerve reliever, because I was able to loosen up with music.

It got more serious as the car ride came to an end, and we both got to sing separate songs alone. He sang _Painting Flowers _by **All Time Low** to me—I _strongly _recommend listening to that song if you haven't heard it before—and I sang _Hallelujah _by **Paramore**.

Okay, so, I know I may have previously been all Avenged Sevenfold crazy, and I am. They are _amazing_, simple as that. But, to be truthful with you, I prefer Paramore, simply because they are my all time favorite band. They've been in the top longer than any other band, and I just don't get tired of Hayley's voice.

She's the one who inspired me to be myself and no one else, to be honest with you.

Anyways, that's how it went as we drove past the city limits, off to wherever his house was. I mean were still in Forks, but I guess you could say we were in the countryside of Forks? I don't know. But, either way, it was out of town.

He pulled onto a road that seemed to go on for a while. From the looks of it, it just went straight into some trees, going on and on as the trees went. Honestly, I wondered if you could just drive into the ocean if you kept going.

I doubted it though, but maybe . . . .

Edward looked over at me with that smile again. His hand came over to rest on my thigh, giving me my usual feelings I get around him but greatly intensified due to the location of his hand—skin contact in general, usually, but it was more intense due to the _location_. "We're almost there. Just a few more seconds."

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked over at him, confused as hell. There was nothing around but trees, and I looked around us to help demonstrate this. "What? How—?"

But I didn't get to finish asking. The car sped down the narrow road faster than I could even grasp. In about six seconds, or so, the car came to a complete stop in a garage. It took me about three seconds to comprehend everything, so maybe he was right about the whole "few more seconds" thing.

The road that led into just trees was a long, narrow driveway, and Edward had just gone faster than the car should be able to with no problem. It was so fast that the trees almost blurred around me!

I was just gawking at the wall in front of me. Edward didn't waste time laughing at my expression. Well, he did, but _after_ he opened my door, because he would hate to miss out on _that _opportunity.

"Mayzie," he said ecstatically once his laughing stopped and he held out his hand like a true gentleman, put out to help me stand. "You'll get used to it. The fast moving, the fast driving . . . everything." Then, his face twisted suddenly, and I almost felt like crying. It was a look of pain and sadness, deeper than anything I had seen from him yet. "You'll even get used to the fact that there's a selfish, one hundred and nine-year-old vampire madly in love with you."

I stood up and frowned. "Edward, don't say that. You're not selfish." A smile spread across my lips, and I found myself holding him close to me with my arms wrapped around his neck. "_I'm_ the selfish one. I just can't seem to let you go, even though my best friend and sister tell me to run away full speed. I should, knowing it causes you so much pain and everything and it causes so much trouble, but I just can't."

He sighed as his arms wrapped around my waist, taking it upon himself to hold me too—which I _loved_, of course, and I was _not _gonna complain about. I heard the car door shut behind me, and a bright, sincere version of my favorite smile spread across his lips. "I guess we're both just too stubborn and selfish to listen to anyone. I've done my own share of breaking the rules, though."

With that, his lips avidly met mine, taking me by complete surprise. Of course, I didn't mind, so I got into it. For a second, I just stood on my tiptoes to kiss him back, but he pulled back suddenly, and a laugh escaped from his lips blissfully once he let me go.

"What?" I demanded softly before smiling up at him. The way he was laughing, it made me happy to hear it was so happy and sincere.

His arms wrapped securely around my waist again before he pulled me tightly against his chest, leaving me with no other option other than to just let him hold me. Lots of holding, but I didn't mind. "If I don't get you in within the next ten seconds, I'm afraid Emmett will come and drag you in." He grinned. "Then again, I'd like to see him try."

I just laced our fingers together as I stepped away from him, only a little reluctant. I did kinda want to meet his family, so I had to step away in order to do this. It was where I wanted to be, though, forever, so it was a tough decision to make.

Hence my reluctance to get out of the embrace.

"Let's go meet your family and prove me right."

He frowned deeply at me. "Or prove _me_ right, since I know my own family."

"But you've never introduced them to anyone," I reminded him, shrugging. "So, therefore, how can you know how they'll react?"

"Oh," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes a little to go along with his sarcastically juicy statement. "I don't know. Maybe I can _read their mind_?"

"No, that _can't _be it," I joked sarcastically. I frowned up at him then. It was the first time I remembered frowning since I had woken up. "Well, never mind."

He just laughed again before pulling me inside. I was a lot more relaxed when he wrapped his arm around my waist to lead me in and hold me close, because it was a sort of reassurance that he was right there with me through this, right there when I needed him to be.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't eat anything, because, despite my protest, they decided to cook for you," he murmured, grimacing a little.

My eyes shot wide open in absolute terror. "They . . . they did?"

"Hey," he said innocently, holding his hands up in defense. "I told them not to do it. They've just got this problem with listening to me." He shrugged. "They think I'm trying to avoid letting them spend time with you." Then, he smiled angelically. "Now, I don't know why they'd _ever_ think that."

"Are you embarrassed of your family?" I asked dubiously, completely surprised, as I looked up at him. "Edward, have you seriously even _met_ mine? I mean, you heard my mom last night! _'Do I need to send birth control pills? Are you keeping it safe?'_"

He chuckled nervously before wincing. "Mayzie, that probably wasn't the best thing to say."

My eyebrows furrowed, but then, I froze completely as it hit me. Where I was hit me. Who was here hit me. "They heard me."

"Yeah," he admitted, giving me a sympathetic smile. "But, they don't really think anything of it, besides Emmett." He shrugged before pulling me up the stairs again. "By the way, you look very beautiful. I'm not sure if I said it before."

"You did about five times during the car ride," I said honestly as I hugged his arm, letting him now just lead the way as we ascended a staircase and headed up. The way this place was so open, so full of light, amazed me, to be completely honest. "And this morning when you told me to wear this. I also told you to quit lying every time."

"And _I_ told you that I'm not," he reminded me firmly, pulling me warily into a kitchen where six people were busily cooking away. Well, Rosalie was in the corner holding up a plate with an attitude. Her eyes were hard and cold as she stared in front of her, looking pointedly at the wall in front of her. She looked really mad, like she didn't want something to happen.

When her eyes moved over to me, I realized _what_ she didn't want to happen.

She didn't want me to be here. She didn't want me in her life. She hates me, and she has no problem showing it. Honestly, she made me feel like every part of her being wanted me to just go away.

Edward cagily looked at everyone, uncertain as to whether he should go on or wait for someone to actually say something.

Alice spun on her heels to face me, making the decision for him without a problem doing so. "Hi, Mayze! I'm so glad you're finally here. Now, he might let me talk to you in English and Biology. Before, he was so strict."

Edward rolled his eyes but smiled at her anyways. "Well, Alice, I didn't want you to completely freak her out. I mean, Mayze, be honest. If Alice just randomly started talking to you, would you be freaked?"

"No," I said honestly. "I mean, that _is_ how you make friends." I laughed softly. "And, well, I mean, when I first moved here, Jake just started saying all sorts of things about our childhood. It couldn't have freaked me out more than _that_ did."

"What's up, doggie girl?" Emmett asked curiously, grinning at me as he spun on his heels to face me. I could see he was teasing me about this, and I felt like that would be something that stuck with me as long as I lived.

"That wasn't the word I had in mind," Rosalie said angrily, sitting the plate of waffles on the counter loudly. "Close, though."

Edward's jaw locked tightly, obviously hearing what she meant in her thoughts. I didn't have to be a mind reader to know, and he probably didn't either. No one did.

"Rose, will you just drop it?" he demanded harshly. "I mean, honestly. Mayze didn't do anything to you. Just stop."

She rolled her eyes at him and began walking across the kitchen. "I'm gonna be in my room." With that, she walked out, making sure to bump my shoulder forcefully as she passed.

I looked down at my feet, finding my converse quite warm and interesting all of the sudden as I struggled to hide the pain of that move and the embarrassment I felt inside. What could I say, knowing I was the cause of that? "Um…"

"Ignore her," Emmett sighed, adverting my attention back up and away from my shoes again. "She's . . . well, it's hard to explain what her deal is, because I don't know, honestly. Edward knows something, but he's being weird and won't tell us."

"He's being a gentleman," a woman with dark brown hair corrected cordially as she turned to me with a warm, inviting smile spread sincerely across her lips. "Welcome, Mayze. Honestly, you're welcome here any time. We're all so glad Edward found someone."

I smiled back at her. "Well, honestly, I'm just glad I could help."

She laughed softly. It didn't compare to Edward's voice or his laugh, but it was still a beautiful sound. All of their voices were beautiful, even Emmett's deep, booming voice. "Well, Mayze, I hope you're hungry."

For a second, and I mean just a second, I was frozen in place. I looked over to see Emmett holding up a plate of bacon, grinning at me. Then, I swallowed and nervously nodded, pushing away all the fears into the back of my mind—still there and torturing me, but hidden from them. "Starving."

"She seriously doesn't eat in front of people she just met," Edward said gently as he propped himself up with his back against the doorframe, shrugging nonchalantly. "I wasn't kidding."

"I . . . ." I bit my lip. "I can deal. They put so much into this. I . . . uh, well—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Emmett interrupted quickly, hands up in the air as if to stop everyone from saying anything, after he put the bacon back on the counter of course. "You're not afraid of us, but you're afraid of eating around people?"

I smiled sheepishly up at him. "Yeah. We've established I'm messed up at this point. I mean, think about it, honestly. I'm in love with a vampire, and my twin sister had a werewolf imprint on her, who is also one of my best friends. That right there basically screams, _'Messed Up,'_ and then, if that's not good enough, there's an even longer list of things I would be glad to show you."

Emmett laughed. "You are awesome, Mayze, not to mention you look pretty badass too. Edward, I like her. Good choice."

Alice giggled before skipping over to Jasper, her arms intertwining with his left arm. "Me too. Mayze, you and your messed up self fit in _perfectly_ here."

"And," a man with honey blonde hair said kindly before smiling at me. He looked about twenty-three, and his appearance made me think he was really nice, as if his smile didn't already. "Don't worry about eating. We are not here to force you to do anything or make you uncomfortable. I'm Carlisle, Edward's father."

"Hi," I said breathlessly, feeling more nervous about him than anyone else, because it's his dad. "Uh, Mayze. Well, you know that." I laughed/scoffed—what is that noise even called?—and my eyes went back down towards my converse. "I . . . ." I bit my lip again.

Edward chuckled beside me. "Relax, Mayzie. Honestly. Just breathe. They already like you."

"It's nice having you," Jasper said tightly from the corner, which caught me by surprise. Alice smiled approvingly up at him, and he swallowed stiffly. Something was bothering him, but he was trying his best to be nice and get over whatever it was.

The woman with dark brown hair smiled at me. "I'm Esme, Edward's mother."

Dang it. More reason to be nervous.

"Sorry about Jasper," Carlisle said apologetically before smiling at me again. "He's our newest vegetarian, and this is a little difficult for him."

"It's not just him either," Emmett added, a demonic grin plastered on his lips. "It's all of us. Your blood is better than your sister's blood, which is weird, since you're full blooded sisters. You are, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Whoops," he said quickly before laughing, that grin only growing more demonic as he looked at me. "I'm probably freaking you out, aren't I? It's just not usual for us to be around humans, not any that we actually converse with anyways."

I smiled brightly and shook my head. "No. Actually, I've had weirder said to me." My eyes widened in horror, and a shudder ran through me. "But, yeah. That's for another day."


	21. 19: Tease

**hello readers (and hopefully reviewers? :)**

**okay, so, here ya go. i'll continue to update through the night. it's barely past 8 here. :D so, i'll have _plenty _of time before i get sleepy. besides, it's cold, and my dog had a whole bag of M&M's. so, we won't be sleeping any time soon. :)**

**anyways, i wanted to make a note. the next time i update won't be ch.20, although that's gonna be tonight. i swear. but first, 16b. His Side of the Story. it's just that—Edward's POV of their date. so, if you wanna read it, you can. it gives you more details on what exactly happened, and you even get incite on what happened when Edward got home.**

**:) i'm not done yet, because i'm only at the part where she's ordering, but it's gonna be good. i hope you think so too. :)**

**well, here's this. hope you enjoy, and please continue being awesome and reviewing. :D**

* * *

**21. Tonight Tonight: Hot Chelle Rae**

* * *

"Sorry, Edward," Alice said lightly as she nonchalantly bounced into his room, her arms swinging by her side as she did so. It was graceful, the way she moved, and, well, I was sorta jealous. She _could_ move like that, graceful and poised. Me; now, I couldn't move like that to save my life.

Literally.

Renée had signed Bella and me up for some dance classes when we were little, around five I think. Even then, it was bad, more so for me. The teacher basically begged her to take us out because we kept falling and knocking over the other girls. Well, I did. Bella was pretty decent, I guess, but she knew that we came in twos.

That was back when we looked almost exactly alike.

Edward stopped rubbing my arm and looked up at her with my smile still on his lips. "That's alright, I guess. We'll just have to play some other time."

"What?" I asked curiously as I sat up, unable to help myself from smiling cheerfully too.

See, right now, we were laying on his couch that he had in his bedroom, listening to my iPod through his computer speakers. He was laying down on the couch, and I was laying in-between him and the back of the couch with my head on his chest. He was laughing at some of the songs in my library, but it didn't matter to me whether or not he liked them. _I_ liked them, and that's what mattered.

"We can't play baseball today," he admitted before sitting up also, brushing some of the stray hairs out of my face with his adoring smile. "It's not storming, so we can't."

My eyebrows furrowed. "That's a strange sentence. It's not storming, so we can't play baseball. Never heard that one before."

He chuckled before nodding. "It is, but you'll see why when you see it."

My shoulders sank and my bottom lip poked out. "Dang it. Now, cause now I'm gonna be all confluseled and out of whack, I wish it would storm so I can see."

I knew it was coming in that moment. It always happened like this. It never failed me.

Thunder clapped very loudly outside, enough to shake the house a little, and both of their eyes widened in completely surprise as they turned towards outside, gawking.

Emmett ran upstairs in that instant, eyebrows furrowed. "Alice, what happened to it wasn't gonna storm today?"

She was gawking at me in complete surprise. "I don't know! Ask Mayze!"

He frowned. "Mayze? What'd you do?" He snorted. "What _could _she do?" He then smirked at us. "Besides Edward."

I laughed before standing up, not at all bothered by the sex joke. Edward seemed to be though, but _I _was normally one to do the same thing, so I didn't care. "It's just something weird that's happened ever since I was a baby. Whenever I would say, _'I want it to rain'_, it would. Also, with fire, I can make it move from across the room. It's kinda weird. Well, I can put it out from across the room. I can't really make it move unless I'm close. With water, I can make it ripple and do funky things with it when I try and move my hands around above it. It's quite entertaining."

They all just gazed at me with large eyes, too stunned for words.

I shrugged innocently. "What? It's not weird, just unusual. And, I mean, seriously. You act like you've never heard of that before with a human."

"We haven't," Edward said simply before picking up a tape deck off of his computer desk he had in there, along with his iMac. "Only with vampires. I mean, there's a vampire named Benjamin who can control the elements. That sounds a lot like him, but you're only human. It's not normal."

"Huh," I said thoughtfully before smiling brightly at that, the idea of being somewhat like a vampire. "Well, that's how I've always been."

Alice squealed. "Alright. You are officially more perfect for this family. I mean, when you're a vampire, just think of what you'll be able to do! Now, I'm gonna go get ready really quickly. Edward, you do that too. Em, tell everyone the game is back on."

He nodded before grinning at me with that mischievous look in his eyes again. "You're so _awesome_, Mayze!"

I just laughed as he walked out, leaving Edward and I alone. Edward's cold arms wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me tightly against his stone cold body. "See, Mayzie? They love you." His lips tenderly pressed against mine for a few seconds before he pulled back. "You are absolutely perfect."

I brilliantly smiled up at him as he reached over and grabbed a baseball cap off of his dresser. His lips pursed together as he calculated my face, but the smile didn't fade. It made me curious, so I asked, "What?"

He gently put the hat on my head, after taking off his Avenged Sevenfold one of course, placing it carefully to make sure not to mess up my hair. Once fixing it the way he liked it, the crooked smile spread across his lips again. "Perfect."

I just hugged his arm as he slid the tape deck into his pocket. "What's that for?"

"We've got to have some kind of music while playing," he said simply, as if it should be obvious. "And, besides, I'm not done listening."

I just laughed blissfully before hugging his arm again. "Alrighty."

He gently pulled his arm back away from mine, to my dismay, but he held up his index finger. "Give me a sec."

Before I could ask why, he started unbuttoning his shirt. Of course, I'm not gonna complain about that, ever, but it shocked me at first when he just pulled away from me. He seemed to know that I wouldn't have a problem with him taking his shirt off in front of me, because he didn't bother asking when he did.

But, of course, he's gonna smirk at me when I'm caught staring at it. I don't care, though, because that is a _**sexy**_ sight—his perfectly sculpted, muscular, chiseled chest; with his eight-pack abs to accent its perfection. I had seen it before, but I just couldn't help myself.

After pulling on a long-sleeved off-white tee-shirt and a button-up baseball jersey with navy blue stripes down it, he wrapped his arms around my waist again and pressed his lips gently against mine.

Someone cleared their throat in the doorway. It was a deep male voice, so I figured it was Emmett. It caused me to blush profusely, though, even when I looked at him with the best scowl I could give at the moment.

I was right about who it was.

Emmett chuckled as he looked at me, mostly laughing at my expression, of course. "You two kids ready, or are you gonna give her another hicky first, Edward?"

My eyes shot wide open as Edward let out a growl, giving him a harsh look of irritation. But, I just gaped at him. "You . . . how did you know? That was supposed to be . . . not there!"

He chuckled darkly. "I'm a vampire, Mayze. I can see these things, especially when I'm me. Anyways, Rose, Esme, and Carlisle ran on."

He rolled his eyes, still not quite over his irritation, and I gave him a befuddled look. "Yeah. I got it." Then, he kissed the top of my head. "Alright, Mayzie. Let's go show you how baseball's _really_ played."

He said that, but neither one of us moved to actually go; seemed like neither of us even wanted to. We just stared into each other's eyes as Edward laced our fingers together on both hands and brought them up and let me fall onto him.

"Come on, you two lovers," Emmett teased as he stepped away from the doorway, gesturing for the hallway. "Let's get going. The longer we take, the friskier Rose gets, which means she's meaner to Mayze."

I didn't see anything happening besides the blur of things around me, but I felt the coolness of Edward's skin, along with the rush of the wind. Either way, I was sitting in the middle-seat in the back of a black Jeep that had been sitting in the garage before I even truly realized what was going on.

My eyes bulged as I looked at Edward, who just burst out laughing at the sight. Right at the same time, Emmett walked out at a normal, human pace, to my relief. He, too, started laughing at me.

I just frowned. "Okay. Maybe you could at least warn me next time."

Edward continued laughing for another second or two. Even after he stopped, he had a bright, happy, humored smile on his lips. "But, it's just so fun this way." He grinned at me before quickly kissing me. "Alright. Let's get out of here before Rose completely flips out."

Jasper was already sitting in the driver's seat, and of course Alice was sitting in the passenger's seat beside him. Emmett ran around to the passenger's side, and once both doors were shut, Jasper drove off towards a place unknown—to me anyways.

"What's that for?" Alice asked Edward curiously as she turned to face the back and eyed the tape deck after giving me the most radiant smile I had seen from her yet, which I honestly didn't even realize was possible until she smiled at me this time.

Edward leaned up and slid it in, with my iPod plugged up to it, and looked over at me with a grin. "You know, they'll probably laugh too at the ones I did."

I shrugged. "Oh well. I mean, there are a few songs on there that are really worth laughing at, but I like them anyways." I shrugged again before laying my head on his shoulder. "They're funny."

He swiftly unlocked my iPod without a problem at all, meaning . . . he knew my password, which is _ems74_. In case you didn't catch it, that's my initials plus my favorite number, but that's not what's so strange.

He knew my password.

My eyes shot wide open as I quickly sat up, almost hitting my head against his. Thanks to his vampire reflexes, he dodged it before my skull could hit concrete, practically. "How did you figure that out?"

"Vampire," he said simply as he pressed shuffle and then play. He shrugged, as if it was no big deal, as he smirked at me. "Remember?"

How could I forget?

"Right," I said slowly. "I just . . . it slipped my mind."

_Teach Me How to Jerk_ by **Audio Push** started playing.

"Now let me come at a jerk, we got the potion. Next to the push, and leave they suckers open. I'm rejected and might leave a bad go. Now tell me if you can jerk in slow motion. Like earth, you know that my truth stick. Imma show you to my whole squad with them clean whips. Now watch me clean dip. You see the clean kicks. Try to jerk like me. I guarantee it'll leave your team thrip. Pause, drop, go, stop. I let my chain bang, gang swang, go watch. Girls tell me when I jerk I look so hot. Cause' I be jerkin' like a churner, make the boat rock."

Edward laughed. "You could so be a rapper for a living."

I scrunched my nose up at him, slightly disturbed by the idea, honestly. "Nah. I'd go more along the lines of Rock R&B, or something like that. Hard rock? Hell fucking yeah!"

He chuckled before putting his arm around my shoulders. "So, are you pumped?"

"I'm kinda curious," I admitted. Then, I realized the song had changed to _This Is the New Shit _by **Marilyn Mansen**, and I just simply could not help myself when it got to the chorus part.

"Babble, babble. Bitch, bitch. Rebel, rebel. Party, party. Sex, sex, sex, and don't forget the violence. Blah, blah, blah. Got your lovey dovey, sad and lonely. Stick your stupid slogan and everybody sing along."

They all laughed, and I just smiled. Edward seemed proud, though, even after I showed them just how weird I am, and after they all saw the real me. That made me so happy, happier than I thought it would.

"You are officially my favorite person in the whole world," Emmett informed me before slapping me a high five—gentle for him, forceful for me. "Edward, she's awesome! I've said that once already, but I will keep saying it forever."

He laughed again and nudged me slightly with his elbow. "Told ya."

I grinned over at him. "My Southern accent is rubbin' off on ya. Ha."

His eyes were thoughtful for a few seconds before he grinned back at me, clearly liking this. "Yeah, it is."

"I said the same thing," Emmett informed me. "Yesterday, when he was here after school, I told him he was starting to sound like he was born and raised in the South. He said _y'all_. He's _never _said that, even after being around Jasper for all of these years! His old time accent is fading into this weird mixture of the old American accent into the new Southern accent."

"Sad thing is, I've never even been to the South," I said honestly, grinning up at Edward. I couldn't deny that his accent was so fucking amazing before, but with the Southern added to it…damn. It was sexy.

Emmett just laughed.

The drive up to the clearing where Jasper stopped went by so fast. We all were goofing around, and they were all very interested in my music—even Jasper, who didn't seem too fond of the fact I was there. He was still polite, but he tried avoiding being around me as much as possible it seemed.

They all got a kick out of _Crank That Spiderman_ by **Soulja Boy**. In case you didn't know, that song is so fun to dance too. I mean, it's freaking awesome. And, besides, in my defense, I like Spiderman better than Superman anyways, so . . . there.

Just because Superman can fly and is bullet proof, that doesn't mean he's the most amazing person on the face of the planet. Spiderman can do all sorts of stuff, and all he's got special about him is the webs coming out of his wrist and the spiky hairs on his fingers.

But Batman is so much better. Just saying.


	22. 20: Baseball

**okay. i mean this. i really must get busy once i post ch. 20 and 21. at the same time. :)**

**don't forget (if you want) that i have already posted 16b. you can read it if you wanna read Edward's POV on their date.**

**now, time for action, suspense, and things getting a little more similar to _Twilight_. Like i said, i have my own twist of things, so there are gonna be serious differences.**

**especially come part II: Together.**

**wait. this is another fun, filler chapter. the _next _chapter starts the suspense stuff.**

**well . . . the end kinda hints at it, if you catch it.**

**please continue reviewing. i haven't gotten any reviews yet _today_, but that doesn't really bother me. it's not even 11 here, and some people might be in school. at any rate, continue to review as you read, please. :)**

**anyways, here. chapter 20 followed by 21. :) [obviously . . . .]**

* * *

**22. The Game: Drowning Pool**

* * *

When we got there, _Yeah _by **Usher feat. Lil' John** was playing, which is so much fun to dance to—it's my jam, literally. I hear it, and I simply _have _to dance.

Anyways, once once Emmett got out, he did a really awesome moon walk before helping me down out of his jacked up Jeep.

I laughed, aware Edward was getting out behind me. "Emmett, I love you. You are officially my bestest friend in the whole wide world."

"Even better than dog boy?" he asked eagerly, eyes bright like a little kid again. That little kid look seemed to be common with Emmett, but it was just something that was awesome about him. Yeah, he acts like a little kid sometimes, but he's still awesome. He's still a super buff vampire that could destroy you in an instant.

I nodded as I continued laughing. "Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Jake, but—"

"Let's get started," Rosalie interrupted icily as she walked up. She grabbed Emmett's arm and pulled him away from me, as far away from me as she could possibly get him. She shot me a really callous look before walking away, her arm locked with his.

Ironically enough, _Heartless_ by **Kanye West** started playing the second she did.

She spun on her heels to face me, eyes cold and narrowed as if I had something to do with that. I just innocently shrugged before looking up at Edward, who looked like he was about to explode if he didn't laugh. At the same time, you could tell he was trying his best not to laugh, because he didn't want to be a complete jerk.

She just rolled her eyes and walked over to Alice and Jasper. Even after being a total bitch to me, she was able to brightly smile at Alice as Jasper threw the bat up. Alice grabbed it, then Rosalie put her hand above Alice's, and then Alice, and then Rosalie . . . you get the point. It ended with Alice winning. Rosalie laughed as Alice grinned at her.

"You knew," Rosalie accused, unable to help from grinning back.

Alice smiled sweetly at her before gracefully skipping over to the pitcher's mound, the baseball in hand and her usual bright Alice smile on her lips.

Wait. Alice was pitching?

Rosalie picked up the bat with a blank expression. "Go on you two." She was looking at Edward and then Emmett.

The two of them took off. Edward had, faster than I could see, turned the volume up in the Jeep. Then, before I could blink, they were both standing in the appropriate spots in the outfield—left and right field.

Esme was behind the plate. "Alright. Now, Mayze, I want you to call it for me. Can you do that?"

I bit my lip. "I can _try_."

"Mayze, do you even know _how_?" Emmett asked loudly from the outfield before him and Edward started laughing.

I scowled at him. "I'll have you know, I can. Contrary to what you might think, I'm really not stupid. I used to play softball all the time."

Emmett just laughed before slowly shaking his head, mostly in disbelief. It sounded like I heard him say, "Well, you're not exactly the sharpest knife in the box." I couldn't be sure, though.

Esme smiled warmly at me as she tenderly put her cold, gentle hand on my arm, getting rid of all of my irritation in an instant. "Just call them like you see them, alright?"

"Okay," I agreed eagerly before stepping away from the plate, getting a good distance away. I was _not_ gonna be really close to or in the swinging zone. That's just _asking_ for death or loss of a limb. I mean, vampires swinging a baseball bat? Not a good idea for a human like me to get in the way of something like that. They're strong enough as it is, but you put an aluminum bat in their hands? Uh-uh. I'm not getting in the way.

Alice looked up at the sky and then back to me, her head shaking a little as she grinned at me. "How do you do it?"

"I just said I wish it would storm," I said honestly, shrugging. Thunder rumbled right then, making Edward and Emmett both laugh this time. "And, well, every time, for some reason, it works."

She just laughed too.

Edward was proudly smiling at me from the outfield, and once he was sure I was looking at him, he grinned at me and winked, making my heart absolutely race in my chest. That was something that seemed to piss Rosalie off even more than anything else, and I wasn't sure _why_. Like Emmett said, Edward wouldn't tell anyone exactly why she hated me so much.

"It's time now," Alice announced cheerfully. With that, she reared back, better than any major league baseball player I've ever seen, and pitched the ball. It was almost too fast for me to see, to be completely honest.

A blink of the eye was all it took to miss the actually contact. I heard the ball hitting the bat, and I heard the thunder cracking at the exact same time, making the effect of the contact so much cooler. But, when I opened my eyes, the ball was already shooting off into the trees, cutting through them like a saw blade on a fallen log.

I understood why it had to be storming now.

I blinked again. "Homerun. That has to be."

"Nah," Esme disagreed with a proud smile, looking over at me happily with her eyes absolutely shining. "Edward's really fast." She gestured with her head towards the woods. "You'll see."

Rosalie was a blur as she rounded each base. I could see her, but it was hard to focus. Honestly, the time was too short for me to really think about anything. I was amazed, though, even if watching them did give me a headache.

Out of nowhere, I saw the ball coming from the midst of the trees, soaring through there faster than Rosalie was moving. I thought Alice's pitch was hard, but damn.

Esme caught it as Rosalie got closer and closer to home. Esme bent down and tagged Rosalie's foot as she came in to slide, making it unable to actually touch the base. It was off by an inch, though.

How I saw all of this and comprehended it, I would never know, but I did, and that was all that mattered.

"Out," I said nervously and at the same time remorsefully. Saying that to anyone else would've been kinda sad, because I already love everyone else. Well, I would've had fun with Emmett and Edward, but Alice, Jasper, Esme, and Carlisle? I would've hated it.

With Rosalie, I was scared to say it, plain and simple. She was a scary individual, and she _hated _me. She didn't need any more fuel than she already had.

"Yeah, Edward!" Emmett cheered from the outfield, jumping up in down in celebration. "Atta boy!"

Edward walked out of the trees at a human pace, and he was laughing at Emmett's ovation. "Em, I'm letting you get the next one, I promise."

"Good boy," I heard Emmett faintly say, but his eager smirk was something that could've been seen probably a mile away—him too, with his massive size.

Rosalie stood up and glared at me. Her eyes were harsh, harsher than they had been yet. I realized, in that moment, that before, she _was _being nice. Now, it was like everything she hated about me, every dark, bad feeling she felt towards me; they were all sprouting up and showing as she gazed at me, sending chills down my spine and making me tremble in fear. She stared at me for a good four seconds, and those four seconds felt as if they would last an eternity. They were the longest four seconds of my life, and I couldn't have been happier when they were finally over. Instinctively, I glanced over at Edward, only to find him giving her an even darker look, scarier than I knew he could give.

"Rose," Esme said gently, as if to scold her; but at the same time, it was too nice to really count as scolding. "Be nice."

Rosalie just brushed past me as she tossed Jasper the bat, grinning at him as if she hadn't just scared the shit out of me. Honestly, I had _never _been that scared before in my life, and she just blew it off as if it was no big deal and said, "Go get 'em, tiger."

Jasper grinned back at her before stepping up to the plate, letting that whole ordeal go for everyone's own good—probably so this could continue to be fun. It was a good idea, because it wouldn't be fun if we were all mad at one person, or each other, and it would just be way too dramatic.

I guess he likes the left side best, because that's what side he chose to stand on. Rosalie had too, but I didn't pay much attention with her.

I glanced at Edward really quickly, and I saw that his eyes were thoughtful as he stared straight ahead of him. He wasn't paying any attention anymore, to anything really. It was if he heard a foreign thought that he needed to focus on or something like that.

"What's up with Edward?" I asked Esme curiously.

She looked over at him, and her eyebrows pulled together. "Huh. Edward?"

He turned towards the woods for just a moment and then back to us with a blank, impassive expression on his face. His eyes, though, were on me, but I was too far away to see just what he was thinking. "Go on. It's just the mutts."

My eyes shot wide open in fear. "What?"

"Oh boy," Rose said sarcastically, rolling her eyes in disgust as she scrunched her nose. "Look what the bitch drug in."

I ignored that as I stared at Edward, trying to figure out what was going through his mind, what he was feeling. It was hard to see from such a great distance away, but I tried, nonetheless.

"Rosalie," Carlisle chided. His sounded more like a scold than Esme's had; it was more firm, but it wasn't very scolding, even still. "She has done nothing wrong."

Rosalie just glared in front of her. She wasn't even looking up at me, because she refused to look at me civilly.

***Edward***

"Hey, Em," I whispered just loudly enough for him to hear me as Alice prepared to throw the ball. "Let me get this one. If it's hit at the right spot, which I'm hoping it will be, then there's something I really want to do."

His eyebrows furrowed, but he laughed anyways, obviously seeing something in my eyes that he found funny. _ Alright, Edward. Go for it._

Jasper swung the bat lightly, not putting much effort into it as he did. That's how the game always started. It started lightly and then it moved into the really hard stuff.

_Bat Country_ by **Avenged Sevenfold** started playing. This had been one I heard earlier, but I loved this one. Emmett would too. Anyone else? Probably not, but Mayze, Emmett, and I would anyways. Anyone besides Rosalie wouldn't mind it.

The ball shot into the trees in the exact direction I had needed it to go. I gave Emmett a quick nod before taking off as fast as I could towards it.

When I saw the wolves—or Jacob, Quil, and Embry, at least—I saw the ball laying at Jacob's feet. I ran over and picked it up before looking him in the eye. He was a little taller than me, but it was still fun to look up at him, not caring that it would be three against one right now.

I gave him a smug smile before taking a step back. Despite the fact that I _shouldn't _enjoy the fact that I had won, I did, a lot. So, I made sure to rub that in, because he deserved it. I had a feeling things would only get worse between us from here on out, but he truly did deserve it.

"Jacob," I greeted in the most gentleman-like way I could, but I could hear the smug tone I had.

_You stupid leech,_ he thought harshly as an actual growl escaped through his lips, and he looked down lividly at me. _Why don't you just leave her alone? We both know that's what's best for her._

I just laughed before smirking at him again, enjoying this moment a lot. Why? Because Jacob hated the fact that I had won. Despite all of his attempts to keep her away from me, I had won her heart, and she chose _me_. With that, I ran off a little before throwing it, as hard as I could, back to the infield.

That was fun.


	23. 21: Blame

**ch. 21.**

**sorry. not much pointless rambling for this one except . . . now starts the intense stuff, especially next chapter. oh my.**

**so, yeppp. fun. :D lots of bitching out in this chapter too, which is always fun. :)**

**now, without further adu (first, continue reviewing, please?) ch. 21! :D**

* * *

**23. Warrior Poet: The Classic Crime**

* * *

***Mayze***

Edward threw the ball back in to Esme, who tagged Jasper before he could touch the base. It was so obvious that I decided not to say anything, because he clearly knew.

The next thing I knew, Edward's arm was wrapped protectively around my waist, and I was pressed tightly against him. His eyes were back towards the woods, and suddenly, he looked really . . . scared, more scared that Rosalie had made me earlier.

"Edward?" I asked gently, eyes widening a little. "What is it?"

Suddenly, his jaw locked, as if he heard something that pissed him off, and he abruptly leaned in to turn off the Jeep. The fear he was showing was still there in his eyes, but it was clouded over with pure rage.

As I looked towards the trees, I could see three tall, muscular figures with short choppy black hair walking towards us. From the distance, I could see their dark, russet colored skin. It didn't take me long to guess who it was, the middle one at least.

The other two came to me quickly too, because one was a person I knew quite well.

"Let's just get out of here," Rosalie grumbled, giving me a quick, cold glance as she said it. "They smell."

Edward's teeth were clenched tightly together as he stared at the approaching figures. "You guys can go on. We don't need you. We've got it."

"Edward, what do they want?" Carlisle asked softly, hearing something in his tone that I didn't—a problem of some sort. "Is something wrong?"

A growl built up in Edward's chest, rumbling up through his usually silent body, but he just nodded, as if he was unable to speak. His eyes went to a look of pain as he looked down at me, something I had never seen him do before, not directly. Now, it was as if he finally hated himself for something, regretting a decision he made with all of his being. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I was confused. Why? What did he regret doing?

"Ah, Jacob," Carlisle said pleasantly, surprising me completely, as Quil, Embry, and Jake approached us. Carlisle was giving him a warm, caring, sincere smile. Here I thought they all hated each other, but Carlisle treated them as he would any other human being. "How are you?"

"A nervous wreck," Jake said blankly, trying his best not to be mad at him. Carlisle—and Esme, for that matter—seemed to have that effect on people, and werewolves too. "Look, Doc, we've got a major problem. Edward's aware now."

"Problem?" Carlisle asked softly, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What sort of problem?"

"There were some normal vampires in La Push," Jake explained calmly, despite the fact that we could all tell he was anything but calm. You could see the fear and panic in his eyes, even rage. "They . . . they smelled Bella. We scared them off, but there's one and his mate who keep coming back, and they keep dodging us. He's . . . he's obsessed with Bella now, and I don't . . . ."

Carlisle looked at him and nodded. "Thank you, Jacob. Do you need our assistance or anything?"

Jake shook his head. "No. We've got those two. It's . . . it's the other three. They're here, in Forks, somewhere. We're not really sure where, but they are. It's no longer our territory, so we just thought we should warn you, and . . . ." he stopped, which made me curious.

Carlisle's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you thinking they'll become obsessed with Mayze too?"

"We're not sure," Embry admitted. His voice, unlike Jake's, wasn't harsh. Maybe Embry wasn't prejudice against vampires. That's how it seemed, at least. His eyes were on me, even as he spoke to Carlisle. "Even if they don't become hooked on Mayze, she's still in danger. So, we thought it would be best to warn you."

"No," Jake disagreed, giving him a firm glare for a minute. "We came to get Mayze and take her to La Push with us."

Edward's grip around my waist tightened, so much that I knew my hips would be bruised, but I didn't care. In this tight, firm, painful grip, I knew that nothing was gonna hurt me or take me away.

"Uh, I don't think so," he said quickly, eyes tightening.

"Do you care nothing about her safety?" Jake spat harshly, making Edward flinch away from him for a minute. "If she comes with us, she'll be safe. Here, the leeches are everywhere."

"We'll take her somewhere else," Edward said quietly, shaking his head. "Do you honestly think I'd be able to live like that?"

"Yeah," Jake said simply while nodding, spitting the words out with clear distinction. "You'd be just fine."

Edward hissed harshly at him, his eyes narrowing. "Okay, you stupid mutt. I'm not sure _what_ your problem is, but—"

Jake cut him off, though, and stepped close to him, the two of them face-to-face—or as much as they could be, since Jake was a few inches taller than Edward. "My problem is you, you pathetic, heartless _bloodsucker_. Mayze is like my little sister, my imprint's actual baby sister, and you're getting in the way of keeping her safe. _That_ is my problem." Then, he turned to me. "Come on, Mayze."

This was the first time anyone had addressed me this entire conversation, the first time I felt like I finally had a say in something that involved me anyways. So, since I was firm about this, I tried to keep my voice flat and hard as I said, "No."

Huh. I did pretty good, surprisingly. It shocked everyone, to the point they all looked at me with wide eyes.

He was gawking at me for a moment before rolling his eyes and scoffing. "Oh come on. Are you serious? Bella is so worried about you. She wants you to be there with her. She's scared, and she has a feeling that the others _will _get you."

"Tell her thanks for the concern," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes right back at him. "And, while you're at it, tell her to stop trying to ship me off to Jacksonville, because that's not gonna work. I'm here, and she can get over it."

His eyes narrowed slightly at me. "You're just gonna let her suffer?"

I kept my face blank and cold. "She's just fine here. But, it's not like she cares anymore. She doesn't care about me, Jake. It's all about you, and I'm just an unimportant person in her life now, like a pet fish."

"That's not true," he said softly, eyes moving down a little. "Mayze, she cares about you . . . ."

"Yeah," I said acerbically. "Sure she does. That's why she hasn't talked to me in . . . well, honestly, I can't remember the last time she did, or, hmm, every time I try to get close to her again, she walks off. Yeah. I see the love."

Edward looked pained as he looked down at me, his face twisting into an expression that broke my heart. "It's me."

Those words clicked something in my brain, and everything suddenly made complete sense. This wasn't Bella, the one I knew. She's changed, just like I have, since she found her love, but he hadn't changed her _that_ much.

There was no way she had changed that much in such little time.

Jake has her brainwashed into thinking Edward's dangerous. She thinks if she avoids me, I'll forget about Edward and go back to her, where I'm safe, and she thinks I'll pick a safe boyfriend.

"Tell her I'm fine then," I said firmly before crossing my arms stubbornly over my chest. "And, if she doesn't like him, get over it, because he's with me. If she has a problem with that, then that's not _my_ problem. I'm not gonna choose between them, Jake, and nothing anyone says will change my mind."

His eyes were blazing as he looked at me, but then, they turned to solid ice right before my eyes in just an instant. "Yeah. I'll be sure to tell her that. Guys, come on. Sam said to hurry back." Then, he turned to me. "Of course, he wasn't planning on Mayze backstabbing her sister like a little bitch."

I gasped. "Me? _I_ backstabbed _her_? Jacob, don't even get me _started_! And, you don't like me? Get the fuck over it! You may think I'm a bitch, but guess what? I don't give a shit! I may be, but stay the fuck out of my life and leave me the hell alone! It's not your place to tell me who I can and can't be around! It's _my _life, not yours!"

But he ignored me. He just turned with Quil and Embry, and the three of them ran into the woods. Embry hesitated, though, and he gave me the smallest smile; a reassuring smile, something I needed from my good buddy. But, he turned and left after he realized it _had _helped, and he followed after them. I heard just the faintest explosions, so I knew they had phased.

I just ground my teeth together, once I was over the shock of Embry's help.

"Where should we take her?" Alice asked Carlisle almost silently, so softly I was shocked I had actually heard her. "We can't just stay here. I see them now, now that the dogs are gone."

Carlisle took a deep, slow breath; a thoughtful sound, it sounded like, and also very concerned. "Let's get her to the house, and we'll go from there."

Edward's fingers intertwined with mine, and he took a deep breath. "Alright." Before anyone else could say anything, he started pulling me towards the Jeep.

"What if they get one of us?" I heard Rosalie ask behind me, causing a twinge of pain to shoot through my entire body, along with a burning fear. "If they get her scent and start following her, what happens when they kill one of us first?"

I completely froze once she finished, which caused Edward to stop too, since he had a hold of my hand. In my mind, I had decided. If it meant I died, fine. They were _not _going down because of me.

Edward looked from me to Rosalie, and then back to me, giving me a firm, pained look. "Mayze—"

I started breathing heavily as I looked up at him, and I even shook my head a little. "Edward, no."

He turned back towards Rosalie, letting go of my hand as he did so. I didn't get to see the look on his face, but once he spoke, I was sure that I probably didn't want to. "Rose, just shut up, for once! I mean, fuck! This is not a time to be a bitch, alright? Can you let go of your hatred you feel towards Mayze for just two minutes? You know damn well that there are seven of us and two, maybe three, of them! We're gonna be just fine, and you know that!"

They were all staring wide-eyed at him, but I was just as surprised as they were. I turned to face him now, and his face was darker and more lethal than I'd ever even imagined possible for him. He, instead of looking gorgeous, looked _scary_. It was the second time I've thought that about him, but it was the only word I had here. It was the second time he actually made me shiver in fear.

Rosalie, especially, was gawking at him. I had no idea eyes could get as wide as hers were. She looked just as scared of him as any normal human would be if his rage was aimed towards them.

"Edward," Carlisle said calmly, not at all mad at his outburst. He seemed to understand where he was coming from, yet at the same time, he had to stop him from hurting Rosalie. "Breathe. Rosalie, calm down. It'll be alright. We'll just get her out of here before any of the other three can get addicted, and when things are safe, we'll bring her back. This won't have to resort to violence, alright?"

"I'm gonna take her home to get some of her things," Edward said blankly before taking a deep breath, giving Rosalie a truly apologetic look as he looked at her. "I'm sorry, Rose."

She swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, me too." She then looked at me, surprising me and scaring me at the same time. "I'll . . . protect you, if I must."

For some reason, that hurt, but at the same time, I was glad she didn't hate me so much she'd rather me die.

I gave her as much of a half-hearted smile as I could manage. It wasn't big at all, but it was at least a smile. "Thanks."

She didn't say anything else though, and she actually looked a little uncomfortable with my smile and thanks. Something, deep down, seemed different, and she seemed to also _like _this.

It had to just be my imagination.

"I'm running home," she finally muttered. "It'll be quicker."

Edward's eyes were pained as he put me in the passenger's seat. "You have to make your dad think you hate it here. He has to let you leave. Otherwise, we'll never be able to get you out of here."

"Okay," I agreed, looking down at the floorboard instead of my converse this time. "Edward, thanks."

His eyes got cold now, harsh even. "Don't thank me for getting you into this mess, Mayze."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he moved me completely inside the Jeep and shut the door. He started swiftly talking to his family, so I didn't get to protest then either. His words sounded like buzzing to me. That's how fast it was. Then, he got in the driver's seat .

"Edward, this isn't your fault," I insisted as I took his hat off and threw it in the backseat, ruffling my hair a little so it wouldn't look bad. "How the hell is this your fault?"

His teeth ground together as he sped back the way we came, eyes and fist tighter than his teeth. "Simple. Those vampires would've passed right through La Push if they hadn't smelled Bella. If I didn't have you here with me, being a selfish bastard, then you both would be safe and happy with Jacob at Charlie's house."

"What?" I asked loudly, gaping at him in shock for a second before closing my mouth and letting out a frustrated grunt. "That makes absolutely no sense at all. We could be in La Push! There's no way for you to know whether or not this is your fault or not. Even so, it's not your fault, so, no matter _how _you look at it, this isn't your fault."

His face stayed hard as he stared forward. "Whose is it then?"

But I couldn't answer. There was no answer. I came to realize this as I thought long and hard about it, for a good seven seconds. That question literally had no answer, because it was no one's fault. It wasn't the normal vampires' fault that they stumbled across us and became addicted.

Or, it might be theirs, but I couldn't blame them.

"Exactly."

"Edward, it isn't anyone's fault," I persisted. "You can't blame yourself for something that just happened! There's no one to blame except _maybe _those normal vampires! You, Edward, are the farthest one from blame. You're getting me out of here and to safety! And they might not even be after me, so why blame yourself?"

His eyes looked even more pained as he continued driving through the woods. Neither one of us said anything else the entire long drive to Charlie's house. He was going faster than he had been on the way up to his house this morning, which was rather exciting, despite the current situation I had found myself in.

I had been in multiple life threatening situations throughout my lifetime, dangerous accidents that have occurred due to my humorous misfortunes. But, for the first time in my life, I didn't fear my own death. Now, despite Edward's point he made earlier, I feared their lives, all of the people I cared about. If I died, fine. If it meant they were safe, okay.

I was truly ready to die for the person I loved, the thing I loved most.

Charlie was already at home. It wasn't quite dark yet. Actually, it was about twilight, so everything had a pretty tint to it, various pinks and reds, even a purple. The skies were a strange shade of red, though, which was odd. Never before had I seen a red sky, not until now.

Edward parked the Jeep at the other end of the street, though, because it would be easier to get away if Charlie doesn't see me drive off with him.

"Ironic," Edward said quietly as we stepped onto the driveway, eyes on the sky as he said it, voice soft as a murmur. "The sky color . . . ."

I sighed. "Let me just get this over with."

"I'll be in your room," he said gently before disappearing from my side in the blink of an eye. It was still strange, even after all this time of being around him and after the day I had had with him.

How could I tell my father I didn't want to be here when it was possibly the biggest lie I've ever had to tell? I'm not a good liar, but how could I completely and totally lie like this?

I would just wing it. The prepared lies were the ones that always went worse for me. And, I had to think about his safety. If I didn't do this and the vampires _did_ get obsessed with me, they would find him and kill him too in their hunt for me.

That just couldn't happen. I couldn't let him die because of something _I _chose, because of the life I had decided on.

What happens when you tell someone something, and it ends up bringing out your worst fears? Everyone you care about is in danger, and now, your worst nightmare comes to life before your eyes. Your tragic little fate is looking so clear.

Maybe I should've just kept my mouth shut.

As I grabbed the cold, iron doorknob, everything inside of me shut off—my brain, my heart, my lungs . . . everything. It was as if, in that moment, I was headed in to face my death.

There was no way this was gonna go well, at all.


	24. 22: Pain

**do de do. :)**

**now, let's see. i've been kinda busy. bleh. i finally got done, and i've been working on 22 progressively since then. (2 hours?) anyways, here it finally is.**

**Cetacea-of-Time, here ya go. :) thanks for reviewing. all of you.**

**please continue to do so as i continue to post more. i'm almost done with Divided. Part II will immediately follow. it's called Together, and i'll post the link as the last chapter of this one.**

**it's already 20 something chapters in. just LOTS of editing.**

**anyways, here's 22 of Divided. :) R&R, please?**

* * *

**24. The Night: Disturbed**

* * *

But, I finally managed to open the door by thinking of Charlie and, even though we were sorta dividing right now, Bella.

At least I could be sure _she's_ safe . . . .

Charlie was sitting in the living room, watching the Sports Channel, with a bag of chips in his favorite chair. It was a typical sight to see with him. "Mayze, or is that Bella?"

"It's me," I said brokenly. My voice cracked, which clued him in on the fact that something was wrong, like I had wanted it to do. It was the best way to start, in my eyes, because I didn't have to worry about showing him that something is wrong. I didn't have to admit it out-loud.

He instantly turned the TV off and stood up, quicker than I had seen him do anything in a while. His eyes were nothing but concerned as he walked towards me. "What is it? Did you and Edward break up?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, which probably looked like crap at this point. But, I didn't really care at the moment. That wasn't the concern of the hour. "No, Dad, but we're about to."

"Why? I thought you liked him, Mayze."

"That's just the problem," I insisted as I started walking up the stairs. As I walked, I realized how heavy my feet felt; like a million pounds. They stomped down on them like they were too. "I _don't_. I'm in love with him, Dad. I just . . . I can't do this."

"If you're in love with him, why are you breaking up with him?" he asked warily. You could tell how confused he was.

If only I could explain the actual truth . . . .

"Because I'm leaving!" I shouted as I walked in my room, but before I shut the door, I went on. "I'm leaving, and I'm not coming back for a long time! Not until he's moved on, at least. I just can't do this!" With that, I slammed the door shut and turned to find Edward.

Edward already had a duffle bag sitting on my bag, ready for anything I needed to put in there. His eyes were agonized as he watched me move around the room, because this was _killing _him—this entire situation. "You're gonna have to make it more painful, or he's never gonna let you go."

I ran my hands through my hair again. "I'll try."

"I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly as I opened my closet doors. I started putting all sorts of clothes in there, just about anything I could grab. I had pajamas, Phoenix clothes, Forks clothes, and just about anything else you can imagine that would fit.

"Don't be," I said quietly back. I zipped up the now overly stuffed bag with a bit of a struggle and pulled the strap on my shoulder. "What should I say?"

"Whatever you know will hurt him just enough to let you leave," he said gently, face impassive but eyes full of that agonizing pain again. "I'll be in the Jeep. I'll probably pull a little further up."

"Okay," I agreed. He started to leave, but I grabbed his arm really quickly. It surprised him, but when he looked at me, I softly kissed him. I needed to know that he was with me in this, and that was what I needed. What I wasn't expecting was what I got. I thought, due to the current situation, that I would get just a quick kiss, but I got more—so much more. He seemed desperate and full of more desire than I had felt from him yet. Every passion burning inside of him—both of us—was released in that one, intimate, special, desperate kiss. His anger towards himself, the fear he felt inside, and the desperation he felt to keep me safe all poured out into the kiss. I felt lightheaded, but I didn't pull away, even when I needed to breathe. Instead, I inhaled through my nose and simply clung to him.

He pulled back, though, after he realized what was going on. "Mayze, I'm with you on this, all the way. You will _not _be hurt, not if I have anything to do with it." With those departing words, he jumped out the window.

That had been just what I needed. Somehow, he seemed to just know, and I appreciated that more than anything. After I relaxed a little with those words, my eyes closed as I took a deep breath, mostly to just calm myself more.

Could things get weirder? On one hand, I was about to go somewhere with Edward, where I would have to stay for a while, and on the other, my life was possibly in danger, along with the ones I love.

It was a perfect and disastrous situation.

Charlie was waiting outside of my door, so, when I opened it, his eyes were just as confused as they had been before. "So, let me get this straight. You're leaving because you're afraid to love?"

"No," I said blankly, sounding confused and hurt as I walked into the bathroom. I started grabbing anything that was mine out of there, like my toothbrush, my toothpaste, my shampoo, soap, sponge, and my hairbrush, along with some ponytail holders. Anything mine that I thought might be useful, I put in there. "I'm leaving because I don't want to get hurt like Mom."

When I turned to look at him, only part of me regretted saying that. The look in his eyes, the look of sheer agony, broke my heart. But, I had to say that. I had intentionally said that, because that was just what I needed. That's what I had to say to get him to let me go, like he _had _to do.

"What?"

I kept a straight, pained, and slightly pissed off face on, but he could see this situation hurt me more than anything else. "In Phoenix, there's no one there for me, alright? Being in love this young just leads to pain and misery, and I'm not ready for that. I'm not ready to be heartbroken, in any way. I'm not ready for this. I'm sixteen!" I groaned. "Dad, I'm leaving, and, well, I might come back someday, once he's moved on, but right now, I can't stay! I can't turn out like Mom!"

I started to run out the door, but then I realized that I didn't have to worry about rushing out. I saw that he wasn't stopping me. After I said that, he didn't even move, didn't say another word of protest. He was too heartbroken, too confused and hurt to move in the slightest way. For a minute, I don't even think he was breathing.

Edward was now pulled up right outside the driveway, because Charlie wasn't watching. He was still just a frozen statue, even as I made my way back down the stairs and out the front door.

Tears started streaming down my cheeks as Edward sped off down the road, faster than a flowing river. It felt like a dam had been standing strong and holding them all back, but in that instant, as I remembered back to his face—that heartbreaking face—it crumbled, and that river it had been holding back just fell, flowed faster than ever before.

"Mayze . . . ."

"I'm fine," I lied bluntly, and I curled up against the window, my voice choked with pain and breaking in between just the two small words. I closed my eyes, aware that the tears were still leaking through just as rapidly.

His hand rested on my thigh, since I was turned in a way that putting it just about anywhere else would be awkward to him. Me? Fuck no. I didn't care where he touched me, to be completely honest.

"Mayze, come here, please."

I didn't stop crying as I sat up and looked at him. It wasn't exactly _crying_, but I was shedding tears. I wasn't sobbing or anything. The only thing happening was the tears. If that's crying, then yeah; I was crying. If not, no. I don't know what it would be called, but yeah.

He pulled the middle armrest up and pulled me over beside him, laying my head on his shoulder as he did so. "I'm so sorry, about everything. Whether this was my fault or not, I'm allowed to say I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say, so I just hugged his arm as he continued on towards his house, going even faster than he had just a few minutes ago. I hadn't realized that was possible, and maybe it wasn't, but it seemed like it was going faster now.

When we arrived, there was one of the four vampires there. At first, it freaked me out to see a vampire with bright crimson eyes and white skin instead of normal colors, because I had been warned to stay far away from them, but then, he spoke up and said something.

"Dusk has become obsessed with this one," he informed us, not bothering to sugar coat it or stall the point. "Blade, the male with her, is looking for her too. They both split up to find her. When Blade finds her, he plans to alert her. If she finds her first, she's going to kill her and then let him know, once she's finished with her."

Those words continued ringing in my head, even now . . . now that we're on the road, driving far away.

After that, he left. Carlisle thanked him, because we hadn't originally known that. Dusk, like the male obsessed with Bella, was a tracker. Hers was different from his, because, like Edward had told me the other day, two vampires will never have the exact same ability. They might have the same thing, but it'll work in two totally different ways, making it a different ability.

With her, she could basically picture where something was in her mind, and in the picture, it told her which way to go. That meant we had to move fast, because she was already on her way. Alice had seen it crystal clear, which meant it was definite.

After that, we had all gone into the garage. Edward had been planning to take me with him while the others took care of it, because, like me but vice versa, he didn't want to let me go. Everyone was frantically getting ready, but we were standing by the car.

Carlisle, though, had made a good point which neither one of us could protest against. She _would_ know by now that Edward wouldn't leave my side. If the ability she has was like Edward's and it didn't work on me, then she would just have to look for him.

We weren't certain if it was or not, though, but Edward didn't plan to take any chances.

So, I'm riding with Alice and Jasper in Carlisle's blue—that beautiful, almost royal blue color—car he takes to work. It's a 2011 Mazda3, so it doesn't stick out or anything, like Emmett's Bugatti would, or Edward's Vanquish. It just had a nice, smooth ride.

Esme had stayed behind at the house, waiting on something. She was gonna let anyone know when something happened, and she was also waiting on being extremely needed somewhere. While she sat around at the house, everything she was wearing was mine, so it smelled like me.

It might help.

Edward, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Emmett ran through the woods the complete opposite direction of me. Rosalie had on my Avenged Sevenfold hoodie, my fedora, and my fishnet gloves. Emmett, Carlisle, and Edward just ran with her. With my scent near Edward, it was likely to lead either the male or female—maybe even both—away from the real me.

Like I said, I was with Alice and Jasper, on my way to Phoenix. I mean, I thought we were going somewhere else, since the female might know I was headed to Phoenix, but that's where we were headed right now. Maybe it was a pit stop? I wasn't sure, honestly.

I just went where they took me.

Alice looked back at me, gazing at my fragile figure laying across the seat, probably looking more dead than alive at the current moment. The fear and worry was eating me alive, and it was driving me absolutely mad. They were out there, risking their _lives _for me. And what about Charlie? Bella?

Bella, I had to admit, was the least of my problems. She was at least protected by a pack of werewolves, so that made me rest a little easier.

"Mayze, everything will be okay. I promise," Alice vowed. Then, she smiled at me. "Why don't we play a game?"

"What kind of game?" I asked curiously as I sat up and moved over to sit in the middle seat so I could see her better. That and it was just the most comfortable spot to me.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Give me a sec." She turned back towards the front and looked up at Jasper. "Jazz? Any ideas?"

He just shook his head. His throat was tight, and his jaw was set firmly, unmoving. I hadn't noticed until I studied him, now, that he wasn't breathing. I guess he was trying to _not_ kill me. I mean, with all this hard work they were putting in to protecting me, it wouldn't be good to have it all wasted like that.

I think they're just wasting their time anyways, because, is it just me, or does it seem like life threatening things or just accidents in general seem to be happening to me lately? And, besides, I've got to die _sometime_.

Well, technically, I _don't_, but Edward would _never_ let that happen. I, honestly, was afraid to even ask, especially considering the way Edward tightened up at the subject when Emmett even mentioned it earlier.

It was just yesterday that they even met me, the Cullens that is, yet they were risking everything to protect me? A danger prone, clumsy girl destined to die young anyways?

Why?

He looked over at her now, maybe more confident in himself, because he started breathing. I could still see that desire to just kill me burning in his eyes, but he ignored it and focused on her. "Hmm. Let's see."

But suddenly, out of nowhere, two people appeared in the middle of the road, too close for Jasper to react fast enough to swerve. They had come from literally nowhere, it seemed to me. Even with their vampire reactions, they wouldn't have been able to prevent what happened.

The car slammed into one of the people, and, since I had been laying down just a minute ago, I wasn't strapped in. Their airbags popped out, which meant they couldn't stop me.

I went through the windshield and landed on the concrete with a hard smack. What human could make a car react like this? It didn't just cause the car to run over something. It completely destroyed it, smashing the front end all the way to the windshield.

I landed on my left leg awkwardly, and I heard it snap under my weight. I may be skinny, but muscle weighs a lot, and I'm _five foot ten_. The sound was, honestly, worse than the actual pain. Either way, they were both horrid, and I couldn't help but scream out in pain.

Glass from the windshield went through my hand, and my head slammed against the pavement, despite my attempts to stop myself, and my legs scraped against the pavement. This all happened within a second.

I could _feel_ the blood running down my ear and down the side of my face.

"Don't touch her!" I heard a ferocious voice growl out, and then, there was a dark feminine chuckle somewhere behind me.

Lifting my head, all I could see was the bright light of the sun. There was a figure in front of me, and then, I was being lifted.

"No!" Alice shrieked, and even though I wanted to thrash around and squeeze my eyes shut, I simply kept them open and let them adjust.

That worked until I began being taken off at top vampire speed.

Dusk, I'm guessing, took off running with me. My head started pounding, even as I cringed into her terrifying arms, and all I could hear was the thud of my heartbeat ringing in my ears. Nothing else was registering, except the blood running down my hands, the pain in my leg, and the blood running down my face and ears. Other than all the pain involved things, I wasn't aware of anything—not even the fear and true gravity of the situation.

Suddenly, we stopped, out of nowhere it seemed. It had been a while, it seemed, since she started running. Before the crash, though, it had been daytime. We had ridden all night. But, now, it was night again, wherever we were. I could tell by the smells and the coolness of the air.

My eyes fluttered open, which just confirmed that theory. I was looking out a window, though, into the darkness around me.

So, we're in a building now. It, oddly enough, looked vaguely familiar.

What?

***Alice***

"Alice, go!" Jasper yelled to me as Blade continued to attack him, pinning him down with loud snarls. "Go get Mayze back!"

I turned to leave, but I could hear him struggling. I could see how hard this opponent was, and when Jasper screamed out in pure frustration, I realized that I was frozen there.

With trembling lips, I shook my head. "I can't."

"Alice, go!" he exclaimed. "I'll be okay! She won't!"

Blade just laughed darkly and began pulling at Jasper's arm, paralyzing him somehow with glowing eyes. "Neither of you will." And he ripped it off, completely. Jasper let out a blood curdling scream, and I began sobbing tearlessly. Without giving it a second thought, I stood and did my own graceful roundhouse kick into Blade's face, sending him hurdling off Jasper. He didn't try fighting me. Instead, he turned and ran.

Jasper was moaning in pain as he laid there, and I was shaking as I knelt down beside him. I wanted to chase after Blade and finish him off, and I wanted to chase after Dusk and save Mayze.

I couldn't do either, though. Jasper was in pain, and I was by his side. I had to be there for him.

"H-He paralyzed m-me," he managed to grind out. "Alice, I'll be o-okay now. Go help Mayze."

"I can't leave you here!" I screamed desperately in his face. Instead, I began working my way into the car to find Mayze's phone, sitting safely in the backseat. Mine had been destroyed, and Jasper's too, but hers was still perfectly intact.

"Edward? We have a serious problem."


	25. 23: Freedom

**hello all!**

**okay. i put the link to the pictures of the tattoos and characters on my profile. it's there if you're interested, and if you would like to see anything else, maybe an outfit or a shoe or even a car, i'd be more than happy to show it to ya. just lemme know. :)**

**now, here's ch. 23.**

**the ending _might _be a little confusing, but it clarifies itself and gives you the answer.**

**and remember. don't fret for Jasper. he'll be alright. his arm reattaches. that's how they are.**

**now, 23. :)**

* * *

**25. Sink or Swim: Falling in Reverse  
26. Beauty From Pain: Superchick**

* * *

***Mayze* **

My eyes continued to wander around the room as I tried to remember where exactly she had taken me, but no matter what I saw, I didn't recognize it. The windows, the distinct carvings in the wall, the wooden floors . . . it should've helped me remember, but nothing was working. It was dark in here other than the pale moonlight, and from the dust that was floating in the air, I guessed that no one had been in here in a while.

Despite my agonizing pain, I was curious.

I wobbled around to face her. Before, I never really got to look at her, and since I was gonna be facing ultimate doom, might as well see what my doomsayer actually looks like.

She had dark crimson eyes, and her hair was a dirty blonde color. She, like all other vampires, was absolutely beautiful, but something I had grown to notice was that vampires looked different depending on their diet. Animal-dieting vampires looked like they did as humans, with their insanely amazing looks on top of that. Human-dieting vampires looked scary, evil, with their pale white skin and their crimson eyes.

As I stared, horrified, at her, an evil grin spread across her lips, more demonic looking than anything I had seen yet. It chilled me to my spine, even causing me to shiver, and fear suddenly ran through my blood, which was still escaping my body in many places. She was, oddly enough, controlled, despite the fact that she seemed to be obsessed with it. She wasn't freaking out and killing me now . . . which surprised me, since Edward always talked about them losing control.

Yet she had no reason to be controlled, so why was she?

"Hello, Mayze," she said in a tone that would've seemed like kindly to anyone who wasn't a human lie detector. Anyone else would've been fooled. "Aw. You need help. Come here, and I'll help you bandage up those wounds."

I took a step back away from her instantly, instinctively. For the first time, I felt the right fear around a vampire. Things weren't the same. She truly terrified me, in ways differently than even Rosalie. I wasn't one to fear vampires, but this was different—_she _was different.

"Uh, how about not? I'm fine."

Her eyes were now mischievous as she chuckled darkly, obviously seeing that I wasn't as stupid as she originally thought I was. "Alright. Have it your way." And then she was in my face in the blink of an eye. "But, I have a few advantages."

With that, she grabbed my hair and literally threw me across the room, sending me sailing into a banister, making me whimper in pain as my head smashed against it. If the crash hadn't given me a concussion, this did.

She walked over beside me with a really scary, jagged knife in her hands, a knife that glowed brightly in the moonlight. "It's such a shame. You really are a beautiful one. Just imagine how you'd look as a vampire . . . ." She slowly shook her head. "I guess we'll never know, will we?"

Then, before I could flinch or do anything, she jabbed the knife into my stomach, which was about all the pain I could take right now, and I let out an ear piercing scream. She yanked it out of me and threw it across the room, sending it flying into a distant door. Blood was seeping out of my newest wound faster than it had yet, and from the look in her eyes, I realized she had had all she could take.

Like _she _had room to talk! I was in so much pain, I was on the verge of passing out!

She pulled my wrist up to her mouth and took a long, good sniff before biting me. Her razor sharp teeth felt like I was getting stabbed all over again with a lot of really small knives, but that wasn't the worst part about it. As if I didn't have enough blood loss already, I could feel her sucking it out. It put a new meaning to draining the life out of me.

But something—well, some_one_—stopped her. I hadn't thought it would happen, though. I had seen death coming, in just those two seconds. It was like my life had really flashed in front of my eyes, and I already accepted the end.

Coming face-to-face with death changes things.

It took me longer than it should have to realize _who_ it was. Edward had knocked her off of me and into the other wall. He looked over at me with crazed yet pained eyes. It looked like he was about to go insane through that gaze, deep within him. Why was he . . . ?

Oh yeah. Gushing blood, about to die from blood loss. Right.

After that, he wasn't alone. Everything was starting to get really blurry though. What scared me the most was the fact that my left wrist, the one she had bitten, was starting to go completely numb. I could no longer feel where she had started to kill me from.

In that moment, as I laid there with my wrist feeling so numb, something sparked inside of me, and it was follow by an agonizing, smoldering pain that ripped out inside of me.

It was as if someone just set off every explosive and every flamethrower—in all of the _entire _world—inside of me.

What was happening to me?

The fire rapidly spread up my arm, as if my blood was pure gasoline there to help it burn ever so quickly, so hot, so painfully.

I couldn't do anything but lie there in agony as whatever the vehement fire was continued to spread throughout my body.

The worst part about all of this was the fact that I wasn't just burning in one spot, but I was boiling everywhere inside of my body. Muscles and joints that I didn't even know existed were burning like the fiery pits of hell inside of me, and I didn't doubt them anymore.

My surroundings were fading around me, and my senses were shutting down, one by one. Hearing was the first thing I lost, followed by smell. They came quickly, but the rest—touch, the sense I wanted gone the absolute most—wouldn't leave. It clung to me like there was no other way.

It was absolutely excruciating.

My teeth ground together, clenched tighter than they ever had been. Clenching my fists took a little more effort, but I had to in order to stay quiet. It was all I could do not to shriek as loudly as I could possibly manage, like I wanted to do. The fire was burning me on the inside, completely. I didn't know what was happening. To be honest, I was kind of scared to know.

My body was shuddering deep, long shudders—uncontrollable ones. I sat there, shuddering, praying to God, asking—begging, more accurately put—Him to hurry up and take me home.

I realized then that death wouldn't be enough to get rid of this. There was something happening to me, something I became conscious of as the fire continued on to scorch the rest of my body.

It was an agonizing pain that just seemed to get worse and worse as it spread through to the last part of my body. My heart was now beating faster than ever before, like it might explode any time now. That was something that I honestly didn't mark out as a possibility.

I just wanted to die in that very moment. Everything I had lived for, worked for . . . I didn't care anymore. Any pain I had ever felt—believe me, there's a lot—seemed like nothing under the severity and harshness of this choking, agonizing fire.

The eternal fire fumed on, especially in my core—my heart. Nothing would stop it; nothing could help. All I wanted to do right now was rip that twisted bitch to shreds for this . . . if I ever even stop burning.

But, suddenly, I felt stronger, like my body was becoming immune to it. Well, it still burned, but it was becoming more normal now, if that makes sense. I guess you could say it was becoming comfortable, but I still didn't like it.

Just when I thought the pain was dying away, though, it got worse; much stronger. It was as if before, I didn't know what I was experiencing, and now, I suddenly was able to understand and appreciate every little flame that was touching every little piece of my body, and I wanted out again.

But I couldn't do this to myself.

I wasn't sure why I wasn't screaming and writhing in pain, or thrashing my body around uncontrollably. But, I wasn't. I wanted to, so badly, but I made sure to lie still and just accept it.

Suddenly, after what seemed like another eternity, I got every sense back—touch, smell, sound, taste, and probably sight too. But, I wasn't opening my eyes yet to see.

At this point, I was surprised to find that in my limbs, the flames were extremely leisurely fading away. But, that just sparked the fire in my heart, where everything was the worst, to burn even hotter, even stronger.

How is that even possible?

As the flames in my heart continued, still, to grow hotter and stronger, nothing but my heart pain mattered.

It was just too agonizing.

Then, there was no pain in my hands or feet anymore. But, it was as if the pain had left them and went to my heart, because it was suddenly beating more rapidly, and the fire was burning even stronger and hotter.

How much hotter can this get?

Now, all I could hear was my frantic heart, and more and more of my limbs was gaining the cool, extinguished fire feeling. They were free, and as time slowly passed by, the cool areas were up to the creases of my elbows and the creases of my knees.

Out of nowhere, my heart jolted, and as the pain drained from everywhere else on my body, it burned brilliantly in the most excruciating heat yet, hotter than I knew anything could withstand. This was unreal, and for a moment, I pondered on whether or not it was hotter than the hottest star.

After that moment, my heart seemed to rise, but my broken body held me down. Then, there was nothing left inside of me still combustible except for my raging heart, the heart that was fighting the fire. Both were losing, it seemed, because the fire was killing my heart, but once my heart was gone, what else was there for it to burn?

I was slipping away in this moment, so close to the end of this, but there was nothing to hold onto. This was just too much for my tiny, weak body to bear. I was dying, and I couldn't stop it.

_No._

Edward . . . I had to pull through for him . . . .

_I will _not _die today!_

My body fought, struggling to cling to the small piece of life I had left in me. It was so tiny, I wasn't sure how I managed, but repeating his name helped me hold onto the almost invisible piece.

Confusion was the only thing I knew to feel, as well as shock, because I had no idea what had just happened to me. I wasn't a vampire, because my heart was still beating. I was still bleeding. I could still feel the blood flowing, along with the rest of the pain. It was all of the sudden too.

Damn it.

I found myself looking at the scene of vampires, the blobs of figures more blurry than before whatever just happened to me went down. There were just two blobs right now: Edward's and Dusk's blob.

The blur that I guessed was Edward pinned Dusk's blob down on the ground. I faintly heard the voice that _sounded_ like Edward's yell, "Emmett! Jasper! Alice! Get her!"

Okay. So, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Edward are here, along with . . . Carlisle, I want to say?

I saw three of the blobs take over Edward's blob, but the fast movement was getting to be too much. They were probably moving at a human pace, but that's not how I was seeing it.

Two of the five blobs approached me, and now I was sure who they were. Carlisle was the first, and Edward was the second.

I heard an eerie ripping sound as a fire started burning out of the corner of my eye. It just made my head throb even more, and the haunting memories of my previous burning came back to me, chilling me to my spine.

I was so sore, all over.

"Mayze," I heard Edward's beautiful voice ring. It sounded muffled, though, as if I was listening to him through earplugs—or cotton, maybe. "Carlisle, what can we do? Just look at her."

"She has a chance," Carlisle's voice rang out too. It was, like Edward's, muffled through my confusion and probably really bad concussion. "From the looks of it, the bite didn't inject venom, or she would be screaming."

_You have no idea how badly I want to . . . _need _to . . . ._

"That's good," Edward sighed, although I wasn't sure if he was entirely convinced. "But, we've got to do something."

I felt the blood continuing to pour, and my world started getting dimmer and dimmer. I saw the three blobs cheering around the fire, but they were getting darker too. My world was suddenly blackening, and I panicked immediately.

"Edward?"

But, I was unable to hear my own voice.

"Yes?"

I guess he heard it. Was I going deaf? That wouldn't help things at all . . . .

"I . . . I can't stop . . . the . . . sleep," I slurred as I forced my eyes open, not finding much difference in them being open than when they're closed. "It's . . . getting b . . . black."

"Carlisle?"

"We've got to get her to the nearest ER," Carlisle said frantically, sounding more scared and nervous than I had ever heard from him before. Sure, I hadn't known him long, but he was always so calm about things, even when we heard she _had _caught my scent and grown addicted. "Jasper, Emmett, Alice! Get out of here and get home! Do not breathe! Just go!"

The three blobs then moved faster than I could see, and when cold arms gently picked me up off the ground, I felt more fragile than I ever had before in all of my life. My stomach had a shooting pain in it, along with my leg. My leg, though, wasn't too bad now. It was my stomach that hurt the worst.

My wrist . . . there was absolutely no feeling to it. I probably could've stabbed it and it would've been completely fine. It had been what caused such a huge ignition inside of me, but I couldn't feel it. Every other part of my body? Sure. My wrist? No.

What had just happened to me?

But, the black just took over as I thought that stray thought. Whether I was dead or alive, that didn't even matter to me anymore. The pain was just too much for me to bear, and once I was out, dead or just unconscious, it was gone. I was free from everything.

I wasn't sure what exactly happened in that room, and whether I ever will or not, that's a mystery to me. Whether or not I'll ever open my eyes again, that didn't matter at this point.

I was free.


	26. 24: Unfamiliar

**there are exactly 3 more chapters (after this one) and then the epilogue left in Divided. I hoped to get it all up tonight, but with school tomorrow, i shouldn't stay up _too _late . . . .**

**doesn't mean i won't. :D**

**anyways, i'll see what i can do. in the meantime, please continue being awesome and reviewing. :D**

**ch. 24.**

**FIRST. i _strongly _recommend listening to this chapter song. why? because it's _amazing_, in my opinion. you don't have to. i just strongly recommend it. :)**

* * *

**27. Painting Flowers: All Time Low**

* * *

Death wasn't an option for me, it seemed. The pain was worse now, worse than it had been before when everything was actually happening. My stomach was the worst thing, and let me just say, that _hurt _like a fucking bitch. I could feel something around my leg too, which felt weird. From the feel of it, the bones were back in the right place, so it must've been a cast. I could feel bandages on my wrist and arm from the cuts and the bite. I was in loose clothing, whatever it was. I felt strangely uncovered, pretty much naked even. It felt odd, and slightly weird . . . . I didn't like it.

Also, I was in a foreign bed. Did Edward take me to his house and make a bed magically appear?

Sound was the next feeling I gained back again. First it was touch and pain, and now, sound. I could hear monitors beeping beside me, which didn't totally lead me away from the Edward's house thing. But, the next sense—smell—_did_.

Edward's house doesn't smell like alcohol and other medicines mixed with the smell of bad food. His house smells _amazing_. This? Not so much.

Then, I felt someone sitting near me. It was the tug of the sheet underneath me that gave it away, but I could also sense a warm presence near me, warming my cold body up a little. Even though I was cold, I still knew I was alive.

My heart was still beating . . . .

I was able to move then, right as I started trying to guess who was sitting at the end of the foreign bed. I just shifted my position a little and forced my eyelids open. At first, though, everything was a blur. It was like before, causing me to panic for a moment, but that quickly changed. I could see now, a lot more clearly than I remember ever being able to see. Maybe I just got so used to the blur . . . .

Renée was the first person I saw. She was sitting on the side of the bed with her phone out, just typing away. She was _texting_.

"Mom," I mumbled quietly, giving her a weak smile. I gave her all I could, but there's only so much you can give when you almost died . . . however many hours ago. "You're texting?"

She gasped as she jumped up, making me jump a little—a painful reaction, unfortunately, but it was the reaction I had. "You're up!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward. He was sitting in the hospital chair "asleep." The instant he heard Renée say that, he opened his eyes. It didn't surprise me when he was thoughtfully watching me. At first, I saw all of the fear he had felt over the past hours—or however long it had been—but, after those moments, I saw pure relief and love.

"Yeah," I whispered, looking back to Renée now. My voice was hoarse and weaker than I had thought it would be. "How long was I out?"

She sighed before covering her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. "You were in a coma, Mayze. The blood loss was so bad you went into a coma. You've been out for a little over a week now. Eleven days, I think." She burst into tears. "They had already started talking about pulling the plug, because you were so bad. They thought there was no way you would make it."

My eyes slightly widened in horror as I blinked, not completely believing her as she said it. "Eleven days?"

"Yeah," Edward said softly to confirm that as he knelt down beside the bed, eyes full of pain as he looked at me. He gently took my right hand in his and just held it softly, his face twisting when my heart rate drastically sped up. Renée saw the look in his eyes and assumed he was just worried about me, but she didn't know the real reason why they were pained like I did. "You were."

"How long have you been here?" I asked hoarsely, frowning at him a little.

He gave me a half-hearted smile, almost as if he would be smiling innocently to get out of trouble if it was any other time. "I haven't left. Jacob's downstairs, along with Bella, your dad, and Emmett. Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Esme were here, but they've gone home now. Emmett, though . . . he refuses."

Renée smiled at him, the tears still on her cheeks, but not flowing now. "He's not the only one." She smiled at me. "I swear. The boy never leaves the room. Everyone else leaves to go to hotels, but he hasn't left for more than ten minutes. Those ten minutes are to shower."

As I studied Edward further, I noticed the dark purple circles under his eyes. His eyes were charcoal black, which was never a good thing. He looked tired, worn out, even. It was as if he hadn't hunted since I last remember seeing him.

And I knew why. He _hadn't_.

"Phil is so worried," Renée informed me. "He came by the second day you were in here, but this morning, he left, because he was in the process of signing a contract. He got drafted for the Florida Marlins."

Edward didn't even seem to be paying attention to her, though. His eyes were thoughtful and focused on me, nothing but me.

I gave her another half-hearted smile. "That's great, Mom. Tell him I said congrats and thanks for stopping by."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go get a nurse really quickly and tell everyone you're up. I'll be right back."

With that, she got up and left.

"You're not gonna tell me to go with Renée, are you?" I asked warily, studying his expression carefully.

He blinked and slowly shook his head. His thoughtful look never left as he studied me. "No, Mayze. I'm not. I don't want to think about that right now. When it gets absolutely necessary, we'll leave."

"But it won't," I insisted.

His eyes were now pained, but he was still thinking about that in the back of his mind, of course. "Mayze, you can't know that. Our definition of absolutely necessary is different from what the real definition is. I can't let this keep happening to you, or you might not wake up next time."

It was too upsetting, though, for me to reply. Just the thought of him leaving, the thought of him not being there . . . it was just too much.

Now, it was much worse than it had been before, that night I realized what he is. Then, it nearly killed me, but now?

It was an indescribable, heart tearing pain.

His fingers gently, like a feather, rubbed over my left wrist, surprising me a little. His eyes were unfocused as he stared thoughtfully at the now silver bite mark. "It's not normal, you know."

"What?" I asked weakly. I started to attempt to sit up a little, but the anxious look he instantly gave me made me stop in my place.

He must've realized it stunned me, because he looked away from me, towards the floor. "There should've been venom, you know. Can you feel your wrist at all? Are you burning?"

"I can't feel it," I admitted as his eyes moved back up to me. "Maybe her teeth hit a nerve."

I felt it was best not to mention the burning I went through while he was trying to kill her, at least not right now. He didn't need anything else to be upset about.

"Maybe," he agreed right before the door opened. His head turned up towards the door for a second, but he looked back at me almost instantly.

Charlie was the first person I saw, followed by Bella, and then Jacob. Jacob's face was hard and cold, and he had his hands on Bella's shoulders. Bella looked just as mad as he did. I mean, after eleven days, they were _still_ mad about t . . . .

They weren't mad about this. I mean, they _were_, but their anger was directed not only towards Edward, but _me_ too.

I didn't care though. Even though I just woke up from a coma, I had my own things to be mad at _them_ about.

Bella's arms were folded across her chest as a sign of anger. But, on her face, there was a fake, worried, and happy smile that only I could tell was phony. Maybe Jacob too, but that'd be about it.

I was too weak to fake a smile back though. If I was gonna smile, then it better be sincere, or it's not happening.

Edward's face twisted in pain even further as he stared at the foot of the bed, avoiding Charlie's gaze. It must've been something Jacob was intentionally thinking at him.

Charlie replaced the spot where Renée had been sitting gently before giving me a weak, warm, worn out smile. Emmett and Edward were the liveliest looking ones, but even those two looked more tired than usual. Emmett's eyes were pitch black too, and the bruise like circles under Edward's eyes were under his too.

Everyone basically looked dead, and I'm sure I was the same way.

Something that hadn't occurred to me until now, even before the baseball game, was spring break had been the entire week I was out, last week.

I managed to choke out a laugh, despite the pain. It took everyone by surprise, though. They probably thought I was too weak to laugh, yet there I was, laughing away.

Edward, though, was the first to respond. A bright, brighter than I had seen since they were playing baseball but still not quite _that_ bright, smile spread across his lips. You could tell he was overjoyed to know I would be okay. The laughter was the sign of that.

"What?"

But I knew, before I even said it, this was going to make the smile disappear. "I was just thinking."

The pause was enough to drive him insane. No one else but me could tell as the smile pressed into a tight line, and his eyes narrowed just the slightest bit the hidden message there.

_Why do you purposely torture me?_

I gave another weak laugh again before going on, aware as my hand came up to rest on his right cheek. "Whenever someone asks me what I did over spring break, I can honestly say I slept right through it."

I had been only partially right. His smile faded, but continued to remain sincere as he gently put his cold hand on my hand. The coolness, though, wasn't as cold as I remembered. It seemed faded, not quite as cold, and with the high voltage electric current rushing through it, I scarcely even noticed it was cold at all.

"Yeah, I guess you can," he whispered softly.

Charlie was looking at the floor, away from me. From what I could see, his eyes were agonized, and I didn't understand _why _he was so upset. "The house won't be the same without you, you know. Make sure you come visit whenever you get the chance."

For a second, all I could feel was confusion. My face must've reflected that, especially when I just blinked. "What?" Then, I realized what he was talking about. It clicked in my mind in that instant, and I felt that pain and regret all over again. Now, I was not only in physical pain but emotional pain too. The pain I had caused Charlie was uncalled for but necessary. "Dad, I'm staying in Forks."

You could tell that sorta hurt Edward, but at the same time, it made him overjoyed. He was mixed up, and for the first time in a long time, I saw that jumbled up emotions look in his eyes.

Now, it was lie time with a small truth so it would be able to sound like the truth. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said. It's just . . . when I realized it, and you know what that is, I was scared and confused. But, I realized before this happened that, you can't run from your fears. You can't just run and avoid everything, because then you miss the best things in life. Therefore, I'm staying, and I'm just gonna figure everything out."

A bright smile now crossed his lips as he turned to look at me. He was thrilled all over again, yet, it was worn out; a sign he desperately needed sleep. "Well, then. That solves that. Even better." He looked over at Edward and then back at me. "You're a trooper, you know."

I let out a small, quiet groan of pain as I sat up. Edward was tense, but once I was up, he was fine. "What exactly happened?"

Charlie sighed. "Well, you were at the Phoenix airport. Edward, Emmett, and Carlisle had come up there to bring you home, since they found out where you were headed. They came to talk to you, and when you were heading back to their hotel with them, you tripped onto a runaway room service cart, and one of the knives thrust into your stomach. You were stabbed with some of the forks in other places, and when you fell back, it broke your leg. It pushed you back down the stairs, where you banged up your head at the bottom. Of course, you can't forget the broken glassware you got inside of you. Luckily, Carlisle was there to get everything out before bringing you here."

"Wow," I said softly, finding the story almost funny, to the point I had to hold back another laugh. "That sounds like my luck."

He chuckled softly and nodded. "Yeah. It does."

What a story. They described it so well, everyone had to believe it. It sounded preposterous, but anyone who even somewhat knew me at all would believe it.

"How long do they think I'll be here?" I asked curiously, looking at Edward for a moment before gazing back at Charlie.

"Well," he said leisurely, biting his lip in that same way I always did when nervous, overjoyed, or thoughtful. "They're working something out with Carlisle right now. You might go home with them, back to Forks, and I'll check in on you every day. Everyone can go back to school, besides you, and you'll go there. That way we can get you back to Forks."

"Helps with the medical bill," Emmett explained before grinning at me. "Dang, Mayze. We're gonna have too much fun!"

"Except she won't be moving," Edward said simply with a grin on his lips too as he looked up at Emmett.

Emmett and I, in unison—which is what was scary—stubbornly crossed our arms over our chest and grunted. Then, we looked at each other and laughed. My laugh wasn't as weak now. My energy seemed to be partially coming back, now that I was really waking up.

"What about school?" I asked curiously. "I don't wanna have to go to summer school or anything."

"Esme is gonna home-school you," Edward informed me before laughing softly. "I swear, Mayze. You and your dang southern accent."

I laughed too and smiled back at him, the brightest smile I had smiled yet since I woke up. "Me and my southern accent. When am I expected to fully recover?"

"Your leg is really bad," Charlie said honestly, frowning at me. "Plus your stomach. They said you should be up and moving about the beginning of May, but your leg is going to take the longest to heal. The break wasn't clean, at all. It shattered, literally. You'll be in a cast until . . . he said probably the end of September, beginning of October, and then they'll move you to the boot. Your stomach, though, isn't as bad. It's already healing."

I groaned. "October? Do you know how long people are gonna stare at me and ask millions of questions? I'm gonna get so much attention it's not even funny!"

"Of course you _would_ be worried about the attention," Edward muttered under his breath before smiling at me. "But, it's okay. You're probably not going back to school until next year anyways."

"Nah," Emmett disagreed. "She might be able to come back for exams."

"Where I'll flunk and have to take my junior year all over again!" I finished grumpily with a scowl. "I hate myself."

Edward's eyes slightly widened as he looked at me. "What on Earth for?"

"Because," I said stubbornly before scowling at my feet. "I just _have _to be danger prone."

With this, everyone, including Bella and Jacob, laughed.

The nurse walked in right about then with a bright smile on her lips. She was the first person I've seen who looked full of energy, and something about her optimism made me wanna hit her. "Oh! You're up! This is great news!"

Uh huh . . . .


	27. 25: Auggie

**:) i have all of this one edited and completed.**

**why? i didn't sleep. so, here's this. :D i really want reviews, though, so i'm not gonna put it all. i have them all uploaded, so all i need you to do is continue to review. :D**

**oh. also? Part II: Together . . . it's all edited (except for ch. 23 and 24) so i'm gonna work on that, work on finishing it up, and then i'll start part III: Torn.**

**fyi, there are gonna be 4 parts to this series: Divided, Together, Torn, and Fixed. the last title is subject to change atm, but i doubt it will.**

**anyways, ****to get these, i need reviews to keep me going. after ch. 24 of Together, i'm not just correcting and editing anymore. i'm actually writing it. reviews _really _inspire me to continue doing this, and i really do somehow seem to do better.**

**so, please review. i understand school has started back now, so reviews might slow, and that's probably why by the end of the day, Divided will be complete, but still. i love reviews. honest. :) i actually do read them. some say it's because i don't ever have more than 100 (except on that one story of mine) but it's really not. if i come back tonight and find over a hundred reviews, you better believe i'm gonna read and respond to every one of them. you took the time out of your life to tell me what you felt, and i'm gonna do the same, even if it's a simple thank you.**

**there's some pointless rambling. okay. now, R&R, and here's ch. 25. :)**

* * *

**28. Mine: Taylor Swift**

* * *

Esme smiled at me as I shut my binder, finally done with our schooling for the day. "You know, Mayze, you really are an amazing girl. I was bound to love you just because you're the girl Edward loves, the girl that truly makes him happy for the first time since I've known him. But, Mayze, I love you more than I thought I would. Honestly, I wouldn't trade you for anyone, not even for the entire world."

"Esme, I'm sure you could find someone much better, someone who doesn't complicate yall's lives," I said quietly, eyes moving down to my cast. "A beautiful, perfect vampire—someone who fits in and belongs here."

She continued to smile her usual Esme smile at me. "Mayze, you are so perfect. You're right. With you, things _are _a little complicated, but life is never easy, no matter what. Surviving these complications together is what bonds us closer, which is one reason we all love you so much. You're a human, different from all of us, but you are so beautiful, Mayze. The beauty you have is natural, something forever remembered. No, you don't fit in, with vampires, werewolves, orhumans even. That's just what makes you, well, you. Nobody's perfect, Mayze, but you are more perfect for Edward, as he is for you, than any other two people I've ever encountered in all of my existence. The love you share will be so strong, so full—it'll be a love like no other." She laughed. "Something I never thought I would have to say. Yeah, you're complete opposites, but that's what makes you so perfect. Where you're weak, he's strong, and where he's weak, you're strong. It's just amazing. You may not fit in anywhere else, but here, in my family is where you belong. Forever."

I had no words to say to disagree or argue with her, or any words at all even. Instead, I hugged her, tighter than I had ever even hugged my own mother. She was my mom too, and I realized that I _was _family, even if Rosalie and I didn't get along. This was my home, my true place.

I _did _belong somewhere . . . here.

Right about then, I heard the sound of the Volvo speeding into the garage. Esme had, obviously, heard it before, but she just let me go and continued to smile as Edward instantly took her place in my arms.

When I stopped hugging _him_, I saw the strangest, brightest look on his face, different from anything else I had seen from him in all of our time together.

"What?" I asked slowly, giving him a wary look. "You're excited about something."

He nodded, rolling his eyes a little before giving me my smile. "What was your first clue?"

"I'm guessing that goofy grin on your face," Emmett input, but I saw that same eager look in his eyes too.

"What are you two up to?" I demanded, aware that I was too happy they were home to really at least sincerely _sound _irritated.

"It's all of us," Alice informed me, beaming brilliantly at me as my eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Come out to the garage with me."

My eyes shot wide open as I glanced over at Edward, who was grinning at me with the most mischievous look in had seen yet hiding in his eyes. "What did you do?"

He laughed at me, clearly sensing what I feared. "Relax, Mayzie. It's not a car yet."

My eyebrows rose. "Um, _yet_?"

"Yet," he repeated decisively, flashing me that damned smile to end this argument for now.

Notice I said _for now_. This was _not _over, but I wanted to know what was wrong with them right now.

I rolled my eyes and stood up, something Edward didn't think about. When he started to protest, I shook my head. "I have to be able to move and use it when I get better."

"That's a _long_ way away," he said firmly, shaking his head too. "Sit. We'll bring her to you."

"Her?"

They all just grinned at each other and then me, and Alice bounced out of the room, off towards the garage. Rosalie rolled her eyes but actually _smiled _at me.

"I think they're just being retarded."

I grinned at her. "What else is new?"

That she grinned back to, and I almost passed out in shock. "Touché."

When the door opened, a strange whimpering sound struck me as very odd. It wasn't a cry of pain, or anything really, but more like a yelp of joy. When Alice walked in, a little white and grey—almost silver—husky with the greenest eyes in her arms, I understood.

I understood it all.

"You . . . you . . . you . . . oh my tigers!" I squealed before throwing my arms around Edward for a few seconds, because I was up and hugging everyone else—even Rosalie and Jasper. "You guys got me a puppy?"

Edward pulled me back to the couch right as I got to Alice. He, like everyone else, was laughing at the way I was freaking out. "Yes, Mayze, we did, because you've always wanted one, and we thought, why not?"

"Girl or boy?"

"Girl, of course!" Alice exclaimed. "You even get to name her and everything. Your puppy! If it was _me_, I would name her Zoë, or A—"

"Alice," Edward interrupted, shaking his head at her to silence her. "We talked about this."

Her shoulders sagged, like a child would if they were told no, and her bottom lip poked out. "Okay."

She sounded like it too!

"I like Zoë," I said honestly, trying to lighten her mood. "But, to me, she looks more like a . . . . "

"Fang?" Emmett suggested, grinning at the way I looked at him. It was actually a good idea, but not quite.

"Rose?" Of course, Rosalie's suggestion.

Jasper laughed. "Maggie?"

I shook my head. "These are all good, but I was thinking more along the lines of an Auggie. She looks like an Auggie to me."

"That's good!" Alice exclaimed, eyes bright. "I like it!"

Edward sighed. "You would."

My bottom lip poked out. "I told you I didn't find him attractive anymore, but seriously? I love that name. And he was cool—not just 'cause he was blind."

"You do have this weird thing for blind guys," he noted, and I rolled my eyes.

I grinned, though, because I couldn't help it. "You're not blind, are you? Last time I checked, you could see better than normal human beings."

His lips pursed together as his eyebrows pulled together. "Hmm. Okay, point noted. You just have a thing for messed up guys."

"Don't go there," I said firmly. "You're not messed up. Crazy? Yeah, and I'm probably to blame for that one."

"You are," Emmett agreed. "Kid lost his damn mind after he met you."

I snorted. "I'm not so sure it was only after he met me. It was just obvious after he met me." I decided to stop talking about this and focus on Auggie, who was wagging her tail and sniffing me carefully, trying to decide if I was worthy to be loved or not, it seemed.

She decided that she at least liked me, so she bounced out of Alice's arms and into my lap, where she began licking my face and making me smile from ear to ear.

This was gonna be good. She seemed smaller than normal husky puppies I had seen, but then again, I had only ever seen pictures.

"We already talked to Charlie about it," Alice informed me brightly. "She's a klee kai, so she's not gonna get much bigger than, say, a miniature poodle, and most importantly, since Charlie has allergies, she's hypoallergenic."

"That's awesome!" I exclaimed. "Guys, this is incredible. Thank you, so much."


	28. 26: Prom

**ah, screw it. i'm gonna go ahead and put 'em all up. just because they're all up, though, doesn't mean that you have to stop reviewing. actually, i would much prefer you _didn't_. :)**

**now, let's see . . . oh. i was wrong earlier when i told you that there would be no more huge Twilight similarities after divided, but i forgot one really key similarity. it's the basic idea, but it's also different, and . . . well, you'll just see when i put part II up.**

**after i get reviews.**

**so, here it is. ch. 26. :)**

* * *

**29. All I Do Is Win: DJ Khaled**

* * *

For the next couple months, the only times I was ever able to move from the couch was when I had to use the bathroom, take a shower, and occasionally get some fresh air. Esme did it a lot while they were gone, and she did well at hiding it from Edward. Sometimes, when we would have school, she'd teach it outside on their porch swing. Being home-schooled with Esme, at least, was a lot more fun than I would've ever imagined possible. I never knew school could be fun, but she's taught me ways of making it that way.

Nothing significant happened over the next three months. Jacob _never_ visited, but Bella occasionally would, surprisingly enough. Embry would tag along too. Honestly, he's become more of my best friend than Jacob. Embry is a heck of a lot cooler, and, along with Seth, he has no objections to the vampires as long as they don't personally hurt me, which he knows they won't.

Jacob and Sam aren't the only two that have imprinted now. Seth imprinted on Embry's cousin, Peyton; and Paul imprinted on Jacob's sister, Rebecca. There were two really young and obnoxious wolves named Colin and Brady, who just turned fifteen, added to the pack now too. Seth is sixteen now, and Peyton is almost there. Colin, Brady, Leah, Jared, Quil, and Embry are the six left that haven't imprinted. According to Embry, they never will, because the number that has already is shocking. It's supposed to be rare that it happens, but within the pack, it's completely _not_ rare—four out of ten.

Anyways, it was nice. Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper all went to school like normal now, every day getting asked how I was doing. Word travels fast in Forks, I guess.

As I was saying, they would come home, every day, and I'd be eagerly waiting on the couch. Rosalie has gotten past hating me. Now, she just doesn't like me. She's not mean anymore. Now, she just ignores me. Well, most of the time. She's talked to me like I was a person she liked before, with a smile and everything. We were making playlist for everyone, even Carlisle and Esme, and I helped her make one. It was shocking, because that whole day, she was _nice_ to me.

Something I was hoping this incident would help me avoid was prom, but, as I found out after two months of confinement, Alice was bound and determined to make me go. If she has to roll me around in a wheelchair, fine. She was getting me out of here.

Right now, she's getting me ready. For the first time, I was going to school with exposed legs, completely—besides my cast, of course. My dress was purple—not just regular purple, but more of a light blue purple kind of purple. It was definitely purple, though. Alice and I fought for the longest time over shoes and which ones I was gonna wear. She _demanded _that I wear stilettos, and everyone else backed me up. Heels and a cast just isn't a good mix; not to mention heels and _me _alone are a bad mixture. Anyways, after she finally gave up on that, she _demanded _that I wear normal, dressy flats, and I _demanded _that I either wear black and white ankle converse or black combat boots. Neither went well with her, at all, but it was my prom, as Edward helpfully pointed out.

It was like World War III between us for a few days, though, while we were fighting about it. Eventually, she decided to just let me decide and go along with what I chose.

Alice and I were complete opposites. She wore what was in style, fashionable, and I wore whatever the hell _I _liked to wear. It worked out to where we had opposite tastes, opposite wardrobes.

Things were destined to get ugly at some point.

So, I decided to go with my combat boot with blue purple laces, since my cast was black. It had been signed in multicolored metallic Sharpies by all of the Cullens, all the wolves, and both of my parents.

That was interesting, getting the wolves to all sign . . . fun day. Ha! Before I actually came to the Cullens' place after getting back from the Phoenix hospital, I went to La Push, despite Edward's protests. I had to talk to Embry about something, and Jacob just took me there.

So not the point.

I was in a pretty short dress, but not nasty short. It came roughly four or five inches above my knee—okay, probably more like three. It was made of satin, but it had a mesh skirt underneath, with about an inch or so of mesh sticking out underneath. There was a cool wrap underneath my chest, made of the same material but designed in a cool way—hard to explain. The dress was tight, until the skirt, where it was loose, and it was strapless. The chest part curved down to make an m shape, it seemed. **(A/N: If you want a picture of everyone's prom dress, I've got 'em.)**

Of course, I had a black diamond stud in my nose, for an awesome effect; my hair was straightened, perfectly I might add; and I had on my black and blue-purple pinstriped fedora with a blue-purple ribbon around it and a square covered in diamonds. Since I was bored and had nothing better to do, I got blue-purple temporary streaks put in my hair.

The lowlights were gone too now, something I didn't mention. Those came out in the time I was here, and I really didn't have the chance to put them back in.

Alice, of course, went all out with jewelry and such, since that was one thing I was letting her be in charge of with my attire.

She made sure to get as much jewelry as she could force, as long as it still looked good I had on a white gold blue-purple diamond heart necklace. The heart was made completely of blue-purple diamonds. It was really cool, and so beautiful. Alice told me the actual diamond name, but I don't remember. Amethyst, I think she said? Something like that.

Anyways, she also had a ring on me, which was _technically _Edward's doing. It was a white gold blue-purple diamond heart too, except it was just one diamond instead of a bunch of tiny circle diamonds making the heart. It was just a heart with white gold metal twisted around into a cool design, studded with clear, small, circle diamonds to outline the center one.

That was all, though, because anything else was pushing it.

And, I mean, there's only so much jewelry you can put on me when I'm wearing black, fishnet, fingerless gloves. Haha.

I had to admit. I looked _awesome _tonight, even though I was being forced to prom. I didn't mind as much just because I looked that awesome.

Now, I'm not one of those people who says, _'I'm ugly'_, or, _'I'm so beautiful. I mean, look at me.'_ I'm not either one of those people, in case you didn't already know that by now. What I look like is a matter of opinion, and I don't care what your opinion is. If you think I'm ugly, well, then, who cares?

I'm just me. I wear what I want, I do what I want, I say what I want, and I am who I wanna be. If you don't like it, you can shove it up your ass and suck it, because I don't care. Simple as that.

Rosalie wasn't in her nice mood today, unfortunately. She was actually more cranky than usual, especially after she saw me.

Alice was working on my hair right now, mostly working on making sure it was gonna stay perfectly straight and still looked awesome under my fedora. Everything else, including my makeup, was done. She had put some blue-purple eye-shadow on me, a little bronzer under my cheek bones to give my skin some color, clear blueberry lip-gloss to make my lips shine, and some glitter on my temples to make them shimmer. She had put some very, _very_ light foundation on my face so I would have a little more color. It wasn't much at all, though, and it would take a vampire to notice. _I_ didn't even see the difference, and I saw her putting it on.

She finished with the last strip before squealing loudly, probably getting everyone's attention. "All done! You know, this looks better than I pictured—on you anyways. I guess you could really pull anything off, Mayze."

I sighed before standing up, looking at my reflection dimly. I looked awesome; that was an undeniable fact. But, once they walked in, who was gonna care? Absolutely no one.

"Alice, I mean, honestly, what is the point in putting makeup on or even trying at all? I might as well go in a clown suit. Either way, all eyes will be on you guys; plain and simple."

Alice had her hair curled for prom. It wasn't in its normal, spiky manner, like I had been dumb enough to expect. It looked really pretty. She had a turquoise head band in her hair to match her dress. That in itself was a halter dress. The skirt started right under the chest area, and it was made out of silk. It came two inches above her knee, and, where I had been expecting stilettos, she had on a pair of silver, flat gladiator sandals—the strappy flats that wrap up around your leg, kinda like you would wear for a Greek or Roman costume of whatever sort you wanted.

Rosalie was wearing her hair straight and red stilettos, which made her an inch or so taller than me. Normally, I'm taller, but not in those things. Her dress was floor length, and it was made of that stretchy dress material that feels soft. It was simple and red. It had spaghetti straps, and the skirt simply flowed down to the ground in a straight, yet beautiful, manner. From right below the chest area, it looked like it had a wrap that covered the chest area, and it just covered everything. Then, the end of the wrap went down to the floor too. In the middle, right below the chest, there was a set of jewels. She was downstairs now, though, waiting on everyone else, and I couldn't remember just what the design was.

Of course, she had put on red lipstick and eye color, just to make me even more aware of how beautiful she is.

The thought suddenly occurred to me. Edward was in a tux, something I've never seen before in our time together. How perfect was he going to look in a tux? I mean, if I thought Alice and Rosalie looked perfect and beautiful . . . .

I stood up, maybe a little too quickly and eagerly. My cast slid out from under me, and I fell backwards, letting out a small yelp of surprise.

Alice's cold, strong arms caught me before I could hit the floor, and she started laughing instantly. "Nice, Mayze. How on Earth are you gonna dance tonight if you can't even stand up?"

My cheeks turned a light shade of pink as I turned to face her. "I don't know."

"The pink clashes," she teased, sticking her tongue out at me and opening the bathroom door. She laughed again as I frowned at her. "Come on, Mayzie-boo. Let's not keep Forks High School waiting any longer. They've waited three months to see your beautiful face, and I think it's time we show it to them."

I just laughed too before walking out and towards the curved, marble staircase. This always scared the crap out of me. I mean, why did the big bathroom have to be upstairs?

Why?

I put my cast down on the stair slowly. I had, honestly, been shocked Edward didn't make me use the crutches for prom. Putting pressure on it _did_ hurt, but I would much rather walk into prom in pain with just a cast than painlessly with crutches.

Talk about attention! I was gonna get too much as it was, and I did _not _need that.

I didn't see anyone at first glance. In just the instant that I watched the stairs below me as I took another step down and then looked back up, they were all standing there. Either I'm losing my mind, or they all cheated.

Either way wouldn't shock me, honestly.

I noticed Emmett and Jasper in tuxes faintly, but Edward was the center of attention, in my mind, at least. Like I had figured he would be, he looked absolutely perfectly beautiful. It was like looking at an angel dressed up for tux. Personally, though, I liked his every day, awesome, tight button-up shirts, fitting jeans, and converse—something like that. He looked . . . the way he looked was beyond describable.

Just like now, in his almost blacked out tux except for the blue-purple tie he had on, as well as the blue-purple buttons on his vest.

I blinked. Unfortunately, going down one step without looking was all it took. In that one step, I was landing on my butt on the hard stair, face flushed and giggling uncontrollably for some reason.

Edward was instantly there, though, and ready to help me up—make sure I was okay. Honestly, he looked like he might've been rethinking his declaration that I could handle it tonight.

I covered my face with my hands, making sure not to mess up any of the makeup Alice spent lots of time working on as I did this. "I can't walk one little step!"

He let out a sigh of relief, realizing now that I was just fine, and then he gently helped me stand up. His eyes were focused on me now, studying me from head to toe. "You're absolutely beautiful." Then, he frowned. "Well, honestly, I'm not sure if that's a good enough word."

I smiled and kissed his cheek. "Same with you."

He just laced our fingers together as a bright smile spread across his lips. "Let's go. And, please, don't slide."

I frowned. "I'll have you know, if I'm looking at my feet and going very slow, I'm fine."

"Yeah," he agreed while nodding, looking rather smug and cocky as he looked back at me—quite amused now. "_If_ being the key word there. How about I fix this problem?"

I didn't have to ask how. He pulled me on his back, like he was giving me a piggyback ride, and raced down the stairs, faster than I could blink. Emmett was nodding approvingly at me, Jasper was smiling at us, and Rosalie was glaring. Carlisle had his arm around Esme, who had a camera and a radiant smile.

My eyes slightly widened. "Camera?"

"Charlie's here too," Edward informed me, shocking me completely. "I mean, come on. It's your junior prom. How many of those do you get?"

"Depends," I said carefully, choosing my words with exact precision. It was chosen carefully enough that everyone knew what I meant.

He frowned deeply at me, not liking the turn of this conversation. "Fine. How many do _you_ get?"

"I don't know," I said honestly before shrugging, something that pissed Rosalie off—Edward too. For the sake of tonight remaining positive, I added, "Maybe more than one. I haven't taken the exams yet, remember. Those are next week. I could still flunk the eleventh grade."

"But you won't," he reminded me, shaking his head. Now, he was relieved, but I wasn't entirely convinced that he believed that was what I meant. Honestly, he probably didn't, but like me, he wanted tonight to remain positive. "Remember? I'll be in every one with you."

"Still," I sighed. "I can't cheat."

There was a knock on the door about then, and my heart skipped a few beats before stopping in my chest completely, along with my breath.

Edward chuckled as he reached towards the door. "Oh, come on. It's just Charlie."

So, yeah . . . picture taking? It was _horrible_. They got tons of couple shots, group shots, and everything. Of course, the one they _would_ get the most shots of Edward and me, either just to irk me or because they genuinely wanted more of us.

We arrived in Edward's _real _car. According to him, Emmett, and Jasper, part of being a vampire is having really nice, shiny, fast, _expensive_ cars. Of course, they weren't expecting me to be into cars also. Well, Edward knew, and Emmett knew that I knew _something_, but they had no idea to what extent I knew.

Honestly, it wasn't a _lot_, but I wasn't one of those girls who was simply like, "It's so pretty!" That wasn't really me either.

Rosalie and Emmett had just gotten there before us in her car, which everyone had seen before when Edward was taking me to school. Emmett's car was way too ostentatious, even for tonight. He had a _Bugatti._

Yeah . . . a little too ostentatious, even if they _are _clearly rich. Edward's was borderline too much, but Emmett's was just a million miles over.

Alice and Jasper came in Jasper's also amazing Jaguar XJ220. It's a dark charcoal color, and, like Edward's, the sound of the engine was drool-worthy. It wasn't as nice as Edward's, but it was a seven-speed, twenty-seven horsepower engine. His wasn't a convertible either.

Stupid vampires and their stupid drool-worthy cars that attract attention. I mean, I thought everyone at school drooled over _Rosalie's_ car . . . .

There was the attention of me appearing after three months _plus_ the fact that we were in _that_—the Vanquish, that is.

"Mayze!" I heard multiple people exclaim as he held his hand out. Edward had insisted we get there late so people would already be there and inside, but it looks like _I_ was right. Everyone was just getting there, still outside.

I gently took his hand and stood up. My stomach was better, but it was still a little weak. Too sudden movement hurt, but it wasn't as bad as the slight pain in my leg, so I was fine.

I smiled as I looked up at Edward with a genuine, timid smile compared to the normal ones he got. "I told you."

He just laughed before walking me over to a bench, sitting me down gently to make sure he didn't hurt me. "Wait right here. Do _not_ move at all. I'm serious, Mayzie."

I smiled sweetly with a devious gleam in my eyes. "Now, would I do that?"

"I'm watching you," he warned, walking over to his Vanquish with his eyes actually on me. He flashed me a quick, perfect, crooked smile before getting in and driving it off towards the parking spaces.

Mike was the first to sit beside me. "What happened to my claim on you?"

I looked over at him with a bright smile, the kind only Edward could bring to my face. "Sorry, Mike. You've got Jessica, remember?"

He scowled deeply, finding something sour about her name. "Only because you rejected me. What happened to you don't party? What happened to _that_? You could've just told me you didn't wanna come with me. It would've saved me a lot of distress."

I sighed, not really knowing how to explain it. There were two reasons why I said no to Mike. For one, I _didn't _normally do the whole "prom" thing, and I didn't dance—in public anyways. For another, I really didn't wanna come with him.

So, I decided to be as honest as I could be while still being as nice as I could be. "Alice happened. She wasn't gonna let me get out of this one."

"Pushy much?" he muttered irritably.

I shook my head as my eyebrows pulled together. I didn't understand _why _he was so mad about this. He had Jessica, and he seemed just fine with her. But now he suddenly has to make a big deal about it?

"No," I insisted firmly. "Alice is one of the most awesome and still one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. She doesn't want me to regret it later, though, so she wanted me to go."

"Oh," he said quietly. It was the last thing he said before he stood up and walked over towards the little huddle of people: Jessica, Bella, Jacob, Seth, Peyton—she goes here; Seth's imprint—Angela, Ben, Lauren, Tyler, Eric, and Ashley. Jessica, Lauren, and Ashley were _drooling _over Seth and Jacob, mostly Seth, but I didn't see why for Jake. After seeing Edward, I didn't even see Jacob as cute anymore. Seth . . . yes. I had to be honest. Seth was _hot_—in both senses of the word.

Angela and Ben came together, along with Eric and Ashley, Lauren and Tyler, Mike and Jessica—obviously—and Bella and Jacob.

Speaking of which . . . .

Bella glanced over at me with bitter eyes right about the time I looked at her. I felt awkward, and for some reason, my body was shrinking back away from her—almost like she was looking at her number one enemy. I tried to dismiss it off as her just being angry with something else and me, but then, she adverted her gaze over at Jacob. Her smile got sincere and warm then, giving me a queasy feeling in my stomach instantly.

When did I become her archenemy? She was the one trying to make my life a living hell by sending me to Florida!

Jacob wasn't my biggest fan either anymore. I guess they both thought I hated them and I just completely ignored any warnings, so they just gave up on me. There was nothing to warn me about, though. I knew that for a fact.

Seth, on the other hand, was an awesome person completely okay with the Cullens. He didn't judge by species or who they were. Seth doesn't judge period. He's just Seth, who's nice to anyone and everyone.

He said something to Peyton really quickly before rushing over and stopping in front of me, giving me a gentle hug afterwards. "Mayze!"


	29. 27: Decision

**do de dum de do de dum de.**

**random.**

**anyways, i'm probably gonna pull an all nighter again tonight. if i can get _Together _finished before 3 am, i'll sleep, but after 3, it's almost pointless to sleep. i'm always more tired getting in just a few hours than i am if i don't get any at all. so, i just stay up if it's after 3.**

**anyways, on to things you probably care more about . . . like ch. 27? :D**

* * *

**30. Rebirthing: Skillet**

* * *

I laughed and hugged him back. "Hey, Seth."

He continued to hug me for a little bit before pulling back and grinning at me. "Glad to be out of the house?"

I let out a sigh of content as I looked around me, finding more pleasure in the trees and cloudy skies than I ever had. "Definitely. And, it's so beautiful here. I just can't wait for twilight. It'll be just . . . perfect."

He looked up at Edward, who was now standing beside me. Edward and Seth, along with Edward and Embry, were friends. That proved _me_ right, of course, but Edward just said I was crazy anytime I brought it up.

Emmett and Embry were closer than Edward and Embry, just like Edward and Seth were closer than Emmett and Seth. Jasper was just nice to both of them. Alice and Rosalie, on the other hand, tried avoiding them. Alice, at least, was nice about it. Rosalie was a straight up bitch.

Kinda like she was to me, actually, but a little worse now. Back when she first met me? She was just as bad, but now since she doesn't hate me anymore, she's worse to them.

Seth hit his fist against Edward's. "'Sup, Edward?"

Edward laughed as he sat on the other side of me. Seth's boiling hot arm was pressed against my left arm, and Edward's ice cold arm was on one side. While they were together, neither one of them noticed the stench, at all. They just talked.

"Nothing much, Seth. Just taking Mayzie here to the prom."

Seth nodded. "Yeah. I'm here with Peyton."

"Well, I figured that," Edward said honestly before grinning at him. "I doubt you'd come with anyone else."

I knew he saw it, but like Seth, he ignored the harsh looks the group of people not even ten feet away was giving us—well, harsh from Jacob and Bella, at least. Jessica, Lauren, and Ashley looked so jealous. I mean, I had two sexy guys on each side. Bella and Jacob, though, were glaring. Bella was glaring at me, because of Edward, and Jacob was glaring at me because of Edward _and_ Seth. I guess he thought the friendship between Emmett, Edward, Seth, and Embry was _my_ fault.

Well, it kinda was, but I don't give a shit what he thinks.

I decided to ignore them too, like Seth and Edward were.

"I feel so weird," I announced, laughing at the way I had to make that announcement. I just had to do it in that way, raising my hand for them and everything.

They stopped talking and looked at me with curious eyes, yet humored. They seemed to find amusement in my statement, something other than the amusement I found in it.

"I can't imagine why _you_ would feel weird," Seth said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

He and Edward both started laughing then. Edward slapped him a high five while the duo continued, and I frowned jokingly. "You two are so mean!"

That was the most Southern thing I've said in a long time. Wow. Just the accent of the . . . wow.

"You're so mean!" Edward teased in a very good Southern accent, not far from how his voice was now. Being around me all the time, his beautiful voice was becoming more perfect. I mean, who knew Southern accents were, well, sexy?

I crossed my arms and stood up, scowling at them. "Where's my Embry-boo when I need him? He would so smack you two around for that."

They both just kept laughing as I started tapping my chin.

"Ooh! How about Emmett? He'll do it!" I exclaimed eagerly. Then, after that moment of excitement, a thought occurred to me—Rosalie—and I frowned. "I _could _go find him."

Cold and hot hands pulled me back on the bench instantly, slightly forcefully too, and it shocked me a little.

"Or, or, or," Seth corrected, shaking his head.

"What are you, a seal?" I snorted before crossing my arms, unable to stop myself from laughing again. "Or what, Seth?"

"Or," he said firmly, frowning at me. He obviously didn't like _me _making fun of _him_, but apparently it was perfectly okay for it to go the other way around. "You could tell us _why_ you said you feel weird. That might help."

"You're hot, Seth," I reminded him.

"Thanks," he said smugly, not even bothering to stop himself form grinning at me. He then laughed, along with Edward on the other side.

I frowned. "Not what I meant. I meant temperature wise. And, Edward's cold. One arm is going numb from the extreme coolness, and one is getting blistered from intense heat."

"Exaggerate much?" Edward snorted.

"Just a little," I said honestly. "But, if I stay like this too long, probably not at all." I shrugged. "But, I like it here. I'm surrounded by two of my favorite people in the world. I just need my Emmett and my Embry. Then, I'll be all set." My shoulders sank. "I just realized something that I can't say out-loud."

"Why not?" Seth asked curiously as Peyton walked over and sat beside him. The others in the group now started walking in, probably because Bella suggested it.

I swear. Besides Angela and Ben, the others seemed to bow in her presence like she's some sort of goddess. I mean, sure, I love her, but I'm getting kinda sick of her.

"Now I can," I said brightly before looking around me. It was just me, Seth, Peyton, and Edward outside, because everyone else had headed in by now. They were sick of seeing me surrounded by these two, sick of seeing me so _happy _with who I was and all. "My four favorite people in the world are two vampires and two werewolves. I have no normal, human friends! I mean, I have Angela and Ben, but they're more like acquaintances, not exactly _friends_."

"You're more of a supernatural girl," Edward said simply before standing up. "And, if I don't get you in there very, very soon, Alice is gonna come out here and get me. She may be small, but she's lethal when things don't go perfectly. When I say massacre, that's just what she'll do to begin with. The castration? That'll be step one too."

I laughed and hugged his arm. "Alright, dearest. Let's go."

When we walked in, _Swing feat. Soulja Boy _by **Savage** started playing. It was really cool timing, if ya ask me, and I was beyond shocked.

I gasped quickly with wide eyes. "I love this song!"

"Yeah," Peyton said brightly with a smile as she walked beside me, eyebrows raised. "Eric found your playlist and used all the songs you could dance to off of that, since you weren't here to put in your votes."

I cheerfully smiled at her. "Cool. There were a lot of those, along with some where you can slow dance."

"Oh yeah," Edward agreed. "Definitely some dancing music."

I just smiled back up at him. About then, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper walked up.

"Emmett!" I exclaimed eagerly before tightly hugging him. I was basically squeezing him as hard as I possibly could. If he was a human, he would be choking.

He laughed and hugged me back. "Geez, Mayze. I just saw you thirty minutes ago."

"Doofus and Seth were makin' fun of me!" I informed him, crossing my arms stubbornly over my chest with a scowl.

Edward just laughed at me again.

Emmett frowned at Edward. "What have I told you two about making fun of my Mayzie?"

Edward frowned deeper at him, making me laugh a little. "_Your_ Mayzie?"

"I didn't stutter," Emmett said simply before releasing me, taking a step towards him—as if he was trying to be threatening. "What'd they do, baby doll?"

Rosalie had gotten used to this. She knew it was just something we came up with when we were bored and Embry and Seth were over, hanging out. She was used to sweetie pie, baby doll, and him claiming me, because, she knew Emmett. He's the kind of guy who has fun, no matter what life throws at him. Edward is too. They're both the same in that sense. If I'm hurt, though . . . Edward beats himself up about it. Emmett, Embry, and Seth were more reasonable about that part of life.

"They said I'm weird," I informed him. "And then they were makin' fun of my Southern accent. Hit him for me, please? I can't."

"Edward," Emmett said seriously, now one hundred percent honest, before laughing. "You really have no room to talk anymore. You've got it just about as bad as she does. Give it another month, and you'll be just as bad, maybe worse."

Edward looked thoughtful for a second as he looked at them, and then, he chuckled. "You're probably right."

"Now," Emmett said firmly before gently moving over beside Edward, placing his hands gently on my shoulders. "Kiss and makeup, and just have a good time tonight."

"Okay," Edward agreed enthusiastically before leaning down and pressing his lips fervently against mine. It was only for about three seconds. Like every other kiss we've ever had, it was over way too quickly for my tastes. In my opinion, even those long, extensive kisses were too short. "Works for me. Come on, Mayze. Let's go dance our socks off."

"Or cast," I said enthusiastically. "Can I do that?"

Emmett laughed as Edward started pulling me off. "Afraid not, sweetie pie."

My shoulders sank as Edward pulled us through the dancing crowd. He was careful, though, so I wouldn't be in pain. People would stop dancing and either just stare or gawk at me as I passed.

I knew Jessica, Lauren, and Ashley hated me. I mean, it was obvious by the way they acted and the way they looked at me. They _despised_ me. But, they loved Bella, since she hadn't stolen a guy who had rejected them many times. They were just envious. Right now, they were glaring with the darkest, most envious looks I had seen from a human yet. But, living with Rosalie for the first few weeks made their glares mean absolutely nothing to me. Compared to her glares . . . ha! They had nothing.

Edward pulled us outside and under a pavilion. It was kinda strange. We go in for just a few minutes, but when we came out, it was already twilight outside. The skies were a pretty pinkish purple color tonight instead of that threatening red from that night, months ago now.

There were a couple people out here, but when they saw us, they immediately moved back inside. The song _A Thousand Years_ by **Christina Perri** started playing. Before I could protest about dancing, Edward pulled me up on his feet so all I would have to do is hold his hands and let him do all the moving.

"Time stands still," I began singing quietly, simply because I couldn't help it. "Beauty in all she is. I will be brave. I will not let anything take away what's standing in front of me. Every breath, every hour has come to this. One step closer. I have died every day waiting for you. Darling, don't be afraid. I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more. And all along, I believed I would find you. Time has brought your heart to me. I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more."

I could feel him smiling against the skin of my neck. "You have a beautiful voice. I'm gonna tell you that until you believe me too."

This made me happy to hear, and I had to smile up at him, but there was something I needed to talk to him about, something serious. Even though tonight was supposed to be perfect and happy, I knew that tonight, right now, was the best time to start. It was more like something I was about to try to guilt him into, and I had to start trying now.

"Have you heard?" I asked softly as I looked up at him, changing the subject so I could catch him off guard. "Werewolves and their imprint . . . they're living forever. Only vampires can kill them."

"Yeah," he said quietly while nodding, not understanding at the moment just where I was going. "I've heard. I _didn't_ know about the fact that only we can kill them, though—not that it really matters."

It wasn't clicking yet.

"Bella's gonna live forever," I went on. "Jacob, Embry, you, Emmett, Seth . . . ."

From the way his eyebrows furrowed, I was starting to see the click. He was now suspicious as he thoughtfully stared at me. Well, it was more like thoughtfully and skeptically, because I knew he didn't like this talk. "Your point?"

"Out of all the people closest to me, besides my parents, I'm the only one dying," I said gently as he suddenly stopped dancing, leaving us both hand-in-hand and simply standing there staring at each other. I was trying to be nice about it, but at the same time, being nice might be the defeat of me.

His face twisted as he looked away from me. "What are you getting at, Mayze? I'm perfectly aware of this fact. I don't like thinking about that right now, though."

I pursed my lips as I thought of another point to bring up, something else to go off of for fuel. "Edward, how far does this thing go? Is marriage possible? Is _that_ possible?"

"Absolutely not," he said darkly through his teeth, eyes tight. "That's the farthest thing from possible, Mayze."

"So, what? You're gonna just stand back and let me die?" I asked softly, doing my best to sound hurt. It probably sounded sincere, because I really was hurt by the fact. He didn't want to change me, so that meant he obviously didn't wanna stop me from dying.

"That's how it's supposed to be," he insisted quietly. "That's called life, Mayze."

I began feeling defeated, already, but I knew I couldn't give up just yet. "But when everyone I care about _isn't_ dying, how can that possibly be how it's supposed to be?"

"If werewolves and vampires didn't exist," he restarted as he looked me in the eyes to try and help stop this conversation, "you and Embry would be together, Jacob and Bella still would be, and you wouldn't give eternity a second thought."

"_If_," I said firmly. "That's a strong two-letter word, Edward. _If_ they didn't exist. But, they do. Edward, I'm dying right now. I don't care who my sister and her boyfriend are. I don't care that I'm supposed to hate you and avoid you." My teeth clenched together so I could force back the tears, the ones that were about to stray from my eyes. "I just want you. I always will, forever."

His smile was pained and half-hearted as he looked deeply into my eyes, searching for something to fix this; as if he would find the solutions to all of our problems in my eyes. "And just a normal, long, happy life wouldn't be enough?"

"No," I said simply while shaking my head, voice gentle but still firm. "It wouldn't. Not now, not ever. Not when everyone I care about has forever. I want you, always."

He let out a breath and looked away, off towards a distance somewhat. It was a frustrated sound, even hurt. For a minute, at least, he was looking off at that distant spot. He slowly shook his head, finally, as he looked back at me, after a little bit—a short time that seemed like hours. His jaw was locked, and his eyes were slightly angry, but at the same time, pained. "Fine. Now?"

"Yeah," I whispered while nodding, voice shaking a little. "And, we'll deal with Jacob later. I just want you."

He leaned me back slowly, like he was dipping me, and I could feel his lips getting closer to my neck by the way my heart started racing. The tip of his lips moved up and down my neck, and I swallowed visibly.

Oh my tigers. Was this gonna hurt as badly as what Dusk did to me did? My mind began racing at the speed of light, and I couldn't think straight. Couldn't process anything.

Then, what happened then shocked me. His lips gently kissed my neck, and he looked back up at me through eyes filled with more pain than before he dipped me.

"I'm not ready to kill you yet, Mayze," he whispered. "You're only sixteen. I don't ever want to kill you."

"But it'll make it all so much easier," I insisted. "You know that. We all do."

"Yeah," he agreed sarcastically, tone a little bitter. "And your best friend would kill us. The pack would have every right to rip us to shreds and burn the pieces."

I sighed and laid my head against his stone cold shoulder. "We'll figure that out."

He just sighed again. This time, though, it sounded more pained, different than before.

For now, this was just perfect. I was the princess, and he was my prince. My beautiful, perfect, prince. This was my fairytale. For now, this was enough. Not always, but for now.

If that sounds stupid, oh well. It was the thing that was letting this night continue to stay happy and positive.

"For now," I said softly. "This is fine. But, not forever. _Maybe_ another year or too."

He looked crushed as he stared at me.

"But for now," I said happily as my arms wrapped around his neck, to lighten the mood again. "I'm just living the fairytale life with my prince."

He smiled half-heartedly, because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make things better instantly. His lips softly, tenderly met mine for just two short seconds after that, which seemed to help things.

"Well, for now, that's all I ask," he whispered before kissing me again.


	30. Epilogue: Divided

**and for your epilogue! yay! it's been a long time coming, but it's finally here.**

**Together won't be as far apart-the beginning and the end. Technically, i started _Divided _at least in 2009. then, i deleted it when i deleted a lot of things off my computer, but it was thankfully saved on a jump drive. so, i read it, edited it (a _lot_, so much i might just post some of the other chapters on here to show you how much different they are . . .) and now, we're here. :)**

**the end . . . of Divided. there's still 3 more parts. lol.**

* * *

**31. Life Starts Now: Three Days Grace**

* * *

Exams actually weren't that bad. They went a lot smoother than I had thought they would. Esme had been a better teacher than I realized. All the fun stuff we did while she was teaching helped me remember everything better than I did in actual school.

After exam week, I was finally allowed to go home. It was nice, but at the same time, I didn't want to leave.

Is it wrong to say at the same time, though, I _did_ want to leave?

I don't know. It's complicated. Edward's been really . . . thoughtful lately. I'm not really sure what's up with him. He seemed really stressed, but at the same time, he was the same Edward.

It's hard to explain. He didn't seem depressed. Maybe he was thinking about my request?

That _had_ to be it.

When I walked through the front door, Edward quickly ran my bags upstairs. He was back within three seconds with a soft, sincere smile on his lips. "I'll see you later, sweetheart." He pressed his lips against mine for just a second before walking out the front door.

"Text me!" I called after him.

He turned to face me and nodded as he began getting in his silver Volvo to head home. I watched him leave with a smile on my face. The sun was setting, so Charlie would be home any time now.

The second I shut the door, Bella walked into the entrance room from a direction that seemed like she was coming down from her room. "Good. The bloodsucker's gone."

I spun on my heels sharply to face her, an icy look in my eyes. "Okay, Bella, just shut up. You don't even know him, alright? Just because Jacob says—"

"Mayze, I care about you," she interrupted simply as she took a step towards me. "And I care about your safety. Do you realize I've worried more these past three months than I have in my entire life put together? I had several panic attacks because I was afraid you might not come back!"

"Bella, look," I said firmly before my arms folded over my chest. "That's your problem. If you would just get to know them instead of listening to your beloved Jacob, like Seth and Embry have, you'll realize I'm fine with them. They're not gonna hurt me."

"How can you know that?"

"How can you know they _will_?" I retorted. "You just can't! I know them, though, Bella, and I know they won't hurt me. You don't know them, and neither does Jacob. Seth and Embry know them, and they'll tell you the same thing I am. The Cullens, and I mean none of them, are going to hurt me!"

"So that's it," she said icily as she turned back towards her room. "You're choosing him over your own twin sister."

"What?" I asked loudly. "I never said that, Bella! I love you both!"

"You never listen to me anymore," she said coldly as she turned to face me. "You always listen to _him_. You're never here to spend time with me anymore because you're with _him_. You're just never here! I hope you're happy, though, because you have officially torn us apart! I'm not even sure if we can be considered sisters anymore!"

"Me?" I gasped. "Bella, I've done nothing but try and fix this! You won't let me! You're the one who has completely divided us, Bella! I tried talking to you! And, besides! You act like I'm the only one never at his house! Bella, you're such a hypocrite! I mean, honestly! You get mad at _me_ for not listening to _you_ when you won't even give them the slightest chance! If you did, you would see _why_ I'm not listening to you! But, no, you don't even consider the fact that they could truly be awesome people because your stupid mutt has filled your head with so many lies, you don't see how false they really are!"

She shoved me back, which made me stumble a little. I was already in pain, but that just plain hurt. "Don't talk about him like that!"

I gaped at her. "So, you can call Edward a bloodsucker, but I can't call your dog a mutt, when he _is_?"

"Edward _is_ a bloodsucker," she snapped.

"And Jacob _is_ a dog!" I exclaimed before storming up the stairs. When I was mad or stunned, my clumsiness was very handy in _not_ coming into play with my walking.

I just slammed my door once I was to my room and fell back on my bed.

Well, I tried. I'm tired of this, though. If she doesn't want to help me bring us back together, then fine. That's not my problem. I've done all I can do. I wasn't choosing, and I wasn't picking favorites. I was just gonna go with life.

The fact that me and Bella were divided now _did_ hurt. I had experience worse pain, though, but that didn't make it any easier.

A house divided against itself cannot stand.


	31. Link to Together

hello all! :) Sgt. Socks here. for your convience, i'm gonna put a link to Part II: Together right here.

there's only the prologue now, but if you read it and review, i'll put more. :)

first type in www dot [.] fanfiction, and then add on .net/s/7711044/1/bTogether_b


End file.
